Cities anchored by major public or private universities — Ann Arbor MI, Boulder CO, Madison WI, Chapel Hill NC, Athens GA, and more.
College towns have unusual housing dynamics: anchor employer (the university), young in-migration every fall, retirees who chose them for amenities, and tight housing supply because students need places to live.
This list is a curated set of well-known US college towns ranked by composite momentum.
1Auburn, ALAuburn-Opelika · pop 83,75778Hot$417,207median home+4.0%5-yr 2University Park, TXDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington · pop 25,26878Hot$2,461,469median home+6.9%5-yr 3Fayetteville, ARFayetteville-Springdale-Rogers · pop 103,13477Rising$380,101median home+4.1%5-yr 4Oxford, MSOxford · pop 26,80177Rising$414,121median home+3.7%5-yr 5Champaign, ILChampaign-Urbana · pop 91,96176Rising$235,121median home+5.7%5-yr 6Urbana, ILChampaign-Urbana · pop 39,83175Rising$204,276median home+7.5%5-yr 7Athens, OHAthens · pop 24,82474Rising$242,155median home+6.3%5-yr 8New Haven, CTNew Haven-Milford · pop 137,56273Rising$330,564median home+5.8%5-yr 9Columbia, MOColumbia · pop 130,90073Rising$323,876median home+2.7%5-yr 10Lawrence, KSLawrence · pop 97,27173Rising$335,513median home+3.4%5-yr 11Stillwater, OKStillwater · pop 50,13873Rising$266,352median home+4.4%5-yr 12Iowa City, IAIowa City · pop 76,71072Rising$301,504median home+4.8%5-yr 13Madison, WIMadison · pop 285,30071Rising$429,253median home+2.2%5-yr 14Knoxville, TNKnoxville · pop 198,72271Rising$371,202median home+0.8%5-yr 15Tuscaloosa, ALTuscaloosa · pop 114,28870Rising$231,461median home+1.4%5-yr 16Manhattan, KSManhattan · pop 54,70070Rising$291,280median home+4.3%5-yr 17West Lafayette, INLafayette-West Lafayette · pop 46,33869Rising$365,761median home+0.9%5-yr 18Worcester, MAWorcester · pop 211,28668Rising$435,532median home+1.0%5-yr 19Norman, OKOklahoma City · pop 131,01068Rising$264,711median home+1.9%5-yr 21Evanston, ILChicago-Naperville-Elgin · pop 76,00667Rising$479,745median home+6.6%5-yr 22Princeton, NJTrenton-Princeton · pop 31,44567Rising$965,725median home+2.8%5-yr 23Williamsburg, VAVirginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News · pop 16,03067Rising$466,964median home+0.5%5-yr 24Tallahassee, FLTallahassee · pop 205,08966Rising$293,664median home+0.6%5-yr 25Bloomington, INBloomington · pop 79,98666Rising$315,221median home+2.0%5-yr 27Athens, TXAthens · pop 13,57566Rising$256,027median home-0.4%5-yr 28Provo, UTProvo-Orem · pop 115,47965Rising$486,127median home+2.0%5-yr 29Corvallis, ORCorvallis · pop 61,99365Rising$560,612median home-0.4%5-yr 30Ann Arbor, MIAnn Arbor · pop 122,92564Rising$531,674median home+3.3%5-yr Sources: Zillow ZHVI, Zillow ZORI, US Census place population.