The 10 Best College Towns In Wisconsin For 2024


Believe it or not, America has the best colleges in the world. It's been proven by data (and surveys) that the U.S. educational system is of the highest quality

It's actually not even close and Wisconsin is home to a handful of them.

While we could debate which colleges within Wisconsin are the 'best,' that's not the goal of this post.

Instead, ride along with us as we determine which college towns in Wisconsin are the best.

You know, the type of places where there's energy and stimulation, but the type of place you can walk around at night. The happiest, chillest, most downright fun places where you can send your kids off to college where you won't break the bank, or worry about their well being.

The 10 Best College Towns In Wisconsin For 2024

  1. Oshkosh, WI
  2. Stevens Point, WI
  3. Madison, WI
  4. Whitewater, WI
  5. Menomonie, WI
  6. Manitowoc, WI
  7. Appleton, WI
  8. La Crosse, WI
  9. Ripon, WI
  10. Platteville, WI

While some of these may not seem like a 'real' college town per se, when you look at the numbers, it's hard to argue against.

And for those who live in Oshkosh, Stevens Point and Madison - we tip our hats to you and we'll schedule a tour for next week. You can see where Oshkosh ranks in terms of the best college town in America.

Finally, if you live in Watertown, WI - it's officially the worst college town in Wisconsin. Sorry, Watertown!

Read on to find out more or for more on Wisconsin check out:

The 10 Best College Towns In Wisconsin For 2024

Oshkosh, WI
Source: Wikipedia User self | CC BY-SA 2.5
Overall SnackAbility
8
/10

Population: 66,373
% Undergrad Pop.: 13.7% (11th best)
Median Rent: $860 (8th best)
Unemployment Rate: 294.3% (11th best)
Crime Rank: 19th best
More on Oshkosh: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Bella Academy of Cosmetology

Stevens Point, WI
Source: Wikipedia User self | CC BY-SA 2.5
Overall SnackAbility
8
/10

Population: 25,549
% Undergrad Pop.: 32.4% (6th best)
Median Rent: $855 (7th best)
Unemployment Rate: 493.4% (26th best)
Crime Rank: 9th best
More on Stevens Point: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Madison, WI
Source: Wikipedia User Dori | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility
8.5
/10

Population: 268,516
% Undergrad Pop.: 21.5% (7th best)
Median Rent: $1,291 (27th best)
Unemployment Rate: 258.4% (8th best)
Crime Rank: 25th best
More on Madison: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison Area Technical College, University of Wisconsin Colleges

Whitewater, WI
Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 15,725
% Undergrad Pop.: 60.2% (best)
Median Rent: $912 (12th best)
Unemployment Rate: 350.6% (15th best)
Crime Rank: 13th best
More on Whitewater: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Menomonie, WI
Source: Wikipedia User Bobak Ha'Eri | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 16,563
% Undergrad Pop.: 43.7% (3rd best)
Median Rent: $899 (11th best)
Unemployment Rate: 356.1% (18th best)
Crime Rank: 11th best
More on Menomonie: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of Wisconsin-Stout

Manitowoc, WI
Source: Wikipedia User Jonathunder | GFDL 1.2
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 34,500
% Undergrad Pop.: 2.1% (2best)
Median Rent: $743 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 280.3% (9th best)
Crime Rank: 16th best
More on Manitowoc: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Silver Lake College of the Holy Family, Empire Beauty School-Manitowoc

Appleton, WI
Source: Wikipedia User Thor Rudebeck | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility
8
/10

Population: 75,133
% Undergrad Pop.: 1.6% (22nd best)
Median Rent: $913 (13th best)
Unemployment Rate: 389.7% (2best)
Crime Rank: 17th best
More on Appleton: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Fox Valley Technical College, Lawrence University, Gill-Tech Academy of Hair Design

La Crosse, WI
Source: Wikipedia User 14aarram | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 52,043
% Undergrad Pop.: 19.5% (8th best)
Median Rent: $941 (15th best)
Unemployment Rate: 353.3% (16th best)
Crime Rank: 27th best
More on La Crosse: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Western Technical College, Viterbo University

Ripon, WI
Source: Wikipedia User Royalbroil | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 7,823
% Undergrad Pop.: 11.0% (12th best)
Median Rent: $715 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 254.3% (7th best)
Crime Rank: 5th best
More on Ripon: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Ripon College

Platteville, WI
Source: Wikipedia User Cityofplatteville | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 11,543
% Undergrad Pop.: 45.9% (2nd best)
Median Rent: $872 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 422.6% (24th best)
Crime Rank: 23rd best
More on Platteville: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of Wisconsin-Platteville

How'd we figure out the best college towns in Wisconsin?

To crunch our data on Wisconsin's best college towns, we used Saturday Night Science to decide which qualities (or rankings) make sense to use in the data, and then crunch the numbers for our rankings.

First off, we firmly decided that only cities with a 4 year college should make the cut -- so there has to be at least one college granting bachelors degrees in town.

You might be surprised to hear that there are only 23 places in Wisconsin with an institution of higher learning with that criteria.

Source of data include OpenStreetMaps, the College Scorecard, the U.S. Census, and FBI reporting data to include the following factors:

  • Students Make Up Large % of the Population
  • College-specific Factors
    • Graduation rate
    • Tuition Cost
    • Student Body Diversity
  • Town Characteristics
    • Safety
    • Affordability
    • Income and Employment Opportunities
  • Things to Do
    • Bars
    • Museums & Libraries
    • Population Density

We ranked each city across each of the criteria, with one being the best.

We rolled up the individual scores into the category and ranked them again based on the category.

Finally, we took the average rank across each category, with the city posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title "Best College Town In Wisconsin For 2024." We updated this article for 2024. This is our six time ranking the best college towns in Wisconsin.

And it looks like Oshkosh placed Summa Cum Laude.

There You Have It -- The Best College Towns In The Wisconsin

If you're looking for the best college towns in Wisconsin, you came to the right place.

The best college towns in Wisconsin are Oshkosh, Stevens Point, Madison, Whitewater, Menomonie, Manitowoc, Appleton, La Crosse, Ripon, and Platteville.

These places all have great college sports programs, tons of stuff to do, and are great places to raise a family.

If you're curious, these are the worst college towns in Wisconsin, starting with the absolute worst, Watertown:

  1. Watertown
  2. Wauwatosa
  3. Ashland
  4. Kenosha
  5. Eau Claire
  6. Milwaukee
  7. Waukesha
  8. Superior
  9. De Pere
  10. Green Bay

For more reading, check out:

23 Best College Towns In Wisconsin

Rank City Population
1 Oshkosh, WI 66373
2 Stevens Point, WI 25549
3 Madison, WI 268516
4 Whitewater, WI 15725
5 Menomonie, WI 16563
6 Manitowoc, WI 34500
7 Appleton, WI 75133
8 La Crosse, WI 52043
9 Ripon, WI 7823
10 Platteville, WI 11543
11 Mequon, WI 25102
12 River Falls, WI 16165
13 Plymouth, WI 8907
14 Green Bay, WI 106846
15 De Pere, WI 25373
16 Superior, WI 26562
17 Waukesha, WI 70945
18 Milwaukee, WI 573299
19 Eau Claire, WI 69098
20 Kenosha, WI 99493
21 Ashland, WI 7903
22 Wauwatosa, WI 47919
23 Watertown, WI 22978

Best College Towns By State

Enjoy The Snack?