- Morgantown, WV, Syracuse, NY and Tuscaloosa, AL, lead U.S. college towns in home-price growth, all posting double-digit year-over-year climbs up.
- The most pricey college towns– Santa Barbara, CA, Boca Raton, FL and Flagstaff, AZ– are seeing home costs fall.
- The least expensive college towns– Dayton, OH, Syracuse, NY and Mount Pleasant, MI– all have a typical home price of under $185,000, less than the national mean of $398,771.
- The college towns where homes offer the fastest are State College, PA, where the normal home goes under contract in 5 days, followed by Manhattan, KS and Columbia, MO, which both typically see homes find a purchaser in 14 days.
- The most competitive college towns for property buyers are East Lansing, MI, Manchester, NH and Syracuse, NY, where majority of homes sell for more than their asking price.
Home costs are rising by double digits in a handful of affordable, inland cities anchored by large universities, led by Morgantown, WV, Syracuse, NY and Tuscaloosa, AL. Home prices in those college towns are increasing more than five times faster than the 2% growth home prices saw nationwide in Might.
This is from a Redfin analysis of MLS information from the three months ending in May 2026 for college towns in the U.S. To be thought about a college town, a city’s population must be at least 10% trainees at a four-year, certified university, and it must be at least 30 miles far from a metro area with a population of more than 1 million people. We recognized 240 college towns; the top 50 by trainee population with a minimum of 50 home sales in the three months ending May 2026 are included in this ranking.
State College, PA, is home to Pennsylvania State University and a hot housing market, with the typical home going under contract in just 5 days, compared to 49 days across the country for homes that offered in May. Home prices are rapidly ending up being less inexpensive there too, up 10.6% year over year to an average $459,050. It’s worth noting that this area just recorded 54 home sales throughout the period of analysis.
“Many of the college towns with home costs increasing the fastest are likewise among the most cost effective places to buy a home right now. That mix is drawing in buyers who have been priced out of larger metros, while universities continue to supply a trustworthy foundation of need,” Yingqi Xu, Redfin Senior Economist, stated. “On the other hand, a lot of the most expensive college towns are experiencing rate declines as high home loan rates and raised home prices make purchasers there more careful.”
The most costly college towns are seeing significant declines in home rates. In Santa Barbara, CA, the mean home list price fell 9.4% to $1.9 million. In Boca Raton, FL, rates are down 5.7% to a mean $820,000, and they fell 3% to a mean $710,000 in Flagstaff, AZ.
| . The 10 Many Expensive College Towns, By Typical Home-Sale Price (2026 ) | ||||
| Rank | Town | Noteworthy college | Typical home list price | Mean home price, YoY growth |
| 1. | Santa Barbara, CA | University of California, Santa Barbara | $1,902,500 | -9.4% |
| 2. | Boca Raton, FL | Florida Atlantic University | $820,000 | -5.7% |
| 3. | Flagstaff, AZ | Northern Arizona University | $710,000 | -3.2% |
| 4. | Corvallis, OR | Oregon State University | $595,000 | 0.8% |
| 5. | Orem, UT | Utah Valley University | $530,000 | 1.3% |
| 6. | Eugene, OR | University of Oregon | $499,900 | 1% |
| 7. | Ann Arbor, MI | University of Michigan | $487,000 | 5.9% |
| 8. | Provo, UT | Brigham Young University | $484,000 | -1.1% |
| 9. | State College, PA | Pennsylvania State University | $459,050 | 10.6% |
| 10. | Blacksburg, VA | Virginia Tech University | $445,000 | -3.3% |
For The Least Expensive College Town Housing, Look to the Midwest and South
There are 3 major college towns where the typical home list price is under $200,000– 2 of which are in the Midwest and the other on the East Coast.
Dayton, OH, home to Wright State University and the University of Dayton, is the least costly college town in the nation, with a mean home list price of just $139,000.
Next comes Syracuse, NY, home to Syracuse University and over 20,000 trainees, with a typical price of $180,000. Ranking third is Mount Pleasant, MI, home to Central Michigan University, where the mean list price is $184,000.
A lot of the nation’s least pricey college towns lie in the Midwest and South, where homebuilding expenses are generally lower and land is more plentiful than in high-cost seaside markets. Lower home costs might make these college towns particularly attractive to first-time purchasers, university workers, and financiers looking for lower-cost rental markets.
| The 10 Least Expensive College Towns, By Mean Home-Sale Rate (2026 ) | ||||
| Rank | Town | Noteworthy college | Average home price | Median home list price, YoY growth |
| 1. | Dayton, OH | University of Dayton | $139,000 | -0.7% |
| 2. | Syracuse, NY | Syracuse University | $180,000 | 12.5% |
| 3. | Mount Pleasant, MI | Central Michigan University | $184,000 | -11.3% |
| 4. | Springfield, MO | Missouri State University | $210,000 | 0.3% |
| 5. | Urbana, IL | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | $230,000 | 0.5% |
| 6. | Lubbock, TX | Texas Tech University | $239,000 | 0% |
| 7. | Baton Rouge, LA | Louisiana State University | $245,000 | 4.7% |
| 8. | Stillwater, OK | Oklahoma State University | $249,500 | -9.3% |
| 9. | Lynchburg, VA | Liberty University | $258,900 | -3.8% |
| 10. | Greenville, NC | East Carolina University | $270,000 | 2.3% |
College Town Emphasizes
Amongst the 50 biggest U.S. college towns, by student population
Where home rates are increasing the fastest (median list price, YoY modification)
- Morgantown, WV (West Virginia University): 12.9%
- Syracuse, NY (Syracuse University): 12.5%
- Tuscaloosa, AL (University of Alabama): 10.6%
Where homes are selling fastest (typical days on market)
- State College, PA (Pennsylvania State University): 5 days
- Manhattan, KS (Kansas State University): 14 days
- Ames, IA (Iowa State University): 17 days
A lot of competitive for homebuyers (share of homes sold above asking cost)
- East Lansing, MI (Michigan State University): 56.6%
- Manchester, NH (Southern New Hampshire University): 56.3%
- Syracuse, NY (Syracuse University): 55.3%
| College town | Noteworthy college | Mean Sale Price (2026 ) | Typical sale price (YoY) | Home sales (YoY) | Inventory (YoY) | Brand-new listings (YoY) | Average days on market (2026 ) | Shares offered above listing cost (2026 ) |
| Ames, IA | Iowa State University | $321,000 | -1.2% | 3.5% | -8.7% | 3.5% | 17 | 18.8% |
| Ann Arbor, MI | University of Michigan | $487,000 | 5.9% | 8.1% | 10.8% | 3.7% | 35 | 40.1% |
| Auburn, AL | Auburn University | $419,000 | 3.5% | -1.2% | 11.3% | 10.5% | 33 | 13.2% |
| Baton Rouge, LA | Louisiana State University | $245,000 | 4.7% | -7.3% | -10.1% | -7.1% | 40 | 13.4% |
| Blacksburg, VA | Virginia Tech | $445,000 | -3.3% | -6.3% | 22.0% | -7.2% | 19 | 14.7% |
| Bloomington, IN | Indiana University Bloomington | $339,950 | 1.5% | 10.9% | 9.0% | 11.9% | 54 | 14.1% |
| Boca Raton, FL | Florida Atlantic University | $820,000 | -5.7% | 9.7% | -10.7% | 2.1% | 79 | 6.9% |
| Champaign, IL | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | $234,500 | -2.1% | 7.3% | 38.8% | 18.2% | 45 | 31.4% |
| College Station, TX | Texas A&M University | $339,900 | 0.0% | -2.0% | 15.7% | 8.1% | 38 | 2.1% |
| Columbia, MO | University of Missouri | $348,500 | 7.2% | 3.0% | -34.4% | 4.8% | 14 | 0.9% |
| Columbia, SC | University of South Carolina | $275,900 | 1.9% | -1.6% | 3.4% | 5.6% | 41 | 21.1% |
| Corvallis, OR | Oregon State University | $595,000 | 0.8% | -1.9% | 24.8% | 2.6% | 42 | 32.4% |
| Dayton, OH | University of Dayton | $139,000 | -0.7% | -4.3% | 10.0% | 5.0% | 48 | 26.6% |
| Daytona Beach, FL | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University | $314,950 | 2.6% | -1.3% | -15.3% | -8.4% | 74 | 7.3% |
| Denton, TX | University of North Texas | $380,000 | -3.6% | -8.3% | 2.3% | -3.5% | 55 | 15.0% |
| East Lansing, MI | Michigan State University | $345,000 | 3.9% | -3.8% | 20.0% | -4.1% | 28 | 56.6% |
| Edinburg, TX | University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | $279,000 | 4.9% | -4.0% | 6.1% | 13.2% | 94 | 17.3% |
| Eugene, OR | University of Oregon | $499,900 | 1.0% | 1.1% | -10.6% | -7.6% | 21 | 28.3% |
| Fayetteville, AR | University of Arkansas | $386,313 | 1.4% | -10.1% | 31.8% | 13.3% | 27 | 11.7% |
| Flagstaff, AZ | Northern Arizona University | $710,000 | -3.2% | -10.1% | -9.1% | 0.6% | 31 | 18.5% |
| Fort Myers, FL | Florida Gulf Coast University | $342,500 | -3.6% | 10.5% | -24.5% | -11.6% | 75 | 4.0% |
| Gainesville, FL | University of Florida | $280,000 | 1.8% | -1.9% | -6.2% | -3.1% | 34 | 13.8% |
| Greensboro, NC | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | $287,750 | 2.8% | -5.5% | 24.6% | 6.2% | 45 | 20.8% |
| Greenville, NC | East Carolina University | $270,000 | 2.3% | -11.2% | 16.5% | 6.0% | 46 | 18.1% |
| Iowa City, IA | University of Iowa | $325,000 | 1.6% | -2.4% | -38.3% | -21.0% | 31 | 23.2% |
| Knoxville, TN | University of Tennessee | $315,550 | 1.8% | -1.4% | 10.1% | -2.5% | 52 | 18.9% |
| Lake Worth, FL | Palm Beach State College | $405,000 | -6.0% | 30.6% | -17.8% | -5.5% | 77 | 9.3% |
| Lawrence, KS | University of Kansas | $307,750 | -3.5% | 10.5% | 5.4% | -10.2% | 34 | 31.0% |
| Logan, UT | Utah State University | $425,000 | 9.0% | 3.7% | 11.6% | 15.6% | 41 | 27.7% |
| Lubbock, TX | Texas Tech University | $239,000 | 0.0% | 5.1% | -17.4% | -13.3% | 61 | 0.0% |
| Lynchburg, VA | Liberty University | $258,900 | -3.8% | -9.6% | 4.6% | -4.7% | 24 | 27.4% |
| Madison, WI | University of Wisconsin-Madison | $440,000 | 1.4% | -6.3% | 19.1% | 6.5% | 41 | 47.9% |
| Manchester, NH | Southern New Hampshire University | $441,500 | -3.0% | 7.9% | 2.0% | 0.0% | 27 | 56.3% |
| Manhattan, KS | Kansas State University | $299,950 | 6.2% | 6.0% | -2.5% | 1.8% | 14 | 0.5% |
| Morgantown, WV | West Virginia University | $275,000 | 12.9% | -1.5% | 2.5% | 2.1% | 57 | 13.4% |
| Mount Pleasant, MI | Central Michigan University | $184,000 | -11.3% | 3.6% | 0.0% | -16.3% | 45 | 19.3% |
| New Sanctuary, CT | Yale University | $385,000 | 1.3% | -9.5% | -5.2% | 15.9% | 49 | 55.0% |
| Orem, UT | Utah Valley University | $530,000 | 1.3% | -12.5% | 15.4% | -2.3% | 36 | 25.7% |
| Provo, UT | Brigham Young University | $484,000 | -1.1% | -5.5% | 13.2% | 0.0% | 41 | 17.9% |
| Pullman, WA | Washington State University | $430,000 | -5.5% | 20.3% | -22.1% | 2.7% | 19 | 19.3% |
| Santa Barbara, CA | University of California, Santa Barbara | $1,902,500 | -9.4% | 16.3% | -19.9% | -0.5% | 36 | 22.8% |
| Savannah, GA | Savannah College of Art and Design/ Georgia Southern University | $339,900 | -2.9% | -0.5% | 20.5% | -1.2% | 80 | 15.9% |
| Springfield, MO | Missouri State University | $210,000 | 0.3% | 13.8% | 43.0% | 31.6% | 18 | 0.5% |
| State College, PA | Pennsylvania State University | $459,050 | 10.6% | 20.0% | -32.3% | -10.3% | 5 | 44.4% |
| Stillwater, OK | Oklahoma State University | $249,500 | -9.3% | -14.3% | 39.1% | 2.1% | 26 | 17.2% |
| Syracuse, NY | Syracuse University | $180,000 | 12.5% | -16.7% | -17.6% | 6.5% | 32 | 55.3% |
| Tallahassee, FL | Florida State University | $290,000 | 5.5% | 5.1% | -13.7% | -9.0% | 59 | 18.3% |
| Tuscaloosa, AL | University of Alabama | $301,450 | 10.6% | 13.4% | 37.6% | 23.5% | 34 | 13.6% |
| Urbana, IL | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | $230,000 | 0.5% | 8.2% | 16.8% | 5.2% | 50 | 25.7% |
| West Lafayette, IN | Purdue University | $400,000 | -5.9% | 19.3% | 48.9% | 15.2% | 24 | 17.6% |
| 50 largest college towns, by trainee population, with adequate information
Housing-market information: March to May 2026 |
Methodology
This report is based on a Redfin analysis of college towns in the U.S. All figures cover a three month duration from March to May 2026. To be considered a college town, a city’s population must be at least 10% students at a four-year, accredited university, and it needs to be at least 30 miles far from a metro area with a population of more than 1 million people. We recognized 240 college towns; the leading 50 by trainee population with at least 50 home sales in the appropriate period are included in this ranking.