Pa. City Ranks No. 6 On List Of Best U.S. College Towns
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A city in Pennsylvania is ranked among the best college cities and towns in the United States, according to a new study.
WalletHub.com ranks Pittsburgh, Pa. sixth on their list of 2015's Best & Worst College Cities and Towns in America.
As for other places in Pennsylvania, Bethlehem ranked No. 59 and Philadelphia ranked No. 91.
According to WalletHub, they ranked 326 U.S. cities and towns that "promise the best combination of academic, social and economic opportunities for students." WalletHub says their analysts examined 326 cities of varying sizes across three equally weighted dimensions: Wallet Wellness, Youth-Oriented Environment and Opportunities.
In order to determine their sample, WalletHub says they limited their selection of cities and towns to those with a university or college population of at least 7,500 students. They then categorized the cities based on the following population sizes: Large Cities: More than 300,000 people, Midsize Cities: 125,000 to 300,000 people, and Small Cities: Less than 125,000 people.
Next, WalletHub says they compiled 23 relevant metrics, such as the quality of higher education, crime rates and cost of living, with each metric given a value between 0 and 100. They then calculated the overall score for each city and ranked them using the weighted average across all metrics.
"Pittsburgh ranked sixth overall, first among large cities. The city has the seventh best housing costs among large cities, 78th overall, at $786/month for renting a two bedroom apartment," said WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez.
Gonzalez added, "Pittsburgh also has the second highest number of students per capita among large cities, which we used as a proxy for a youth-oriented community. For Nightlife Options, the city ranked first in the nation with 166 per capita. It was also in the Top 10 for its percentage of workers who bike, walk or take public transportation, the eighth highest for large cities, 20th overall, at 30.4 percent. Since many students are not able or allowed to have cars on campus until later on in their college career, the city's accessibility was important. Also, the city has the third highest percentage of part time jobs at 44.52 percent among large cities, 51st overall - good news for those who are working their way through school."
"Bethlehem ranked 59th overall and 21st among small sized cities. Philadelphia ranked 91st overall and 29th among large cities. These rankings are above average and should be considered good rankings," said Gonzalez. "Bethlehem has the eighth best Quality of Higher Education among small cities, 20th overall. Also the city has a high number of Nightlife Options at 107 per capita, sixth among small cities and 32nd overall."
"Philadelphia has a high City Accessibility with 37 percent of workers biking, walking or taking public transportation, ranking fifth among large cities and ninth overall. The Quality of Higher Education is eighth best here in comparison with other large cities, 23rd overall," said Gonzalez.
Ann Arbor, Michigan took the top spot at No. 1, followed by College Station, Texas at No. 2 and Iowa City, Iowa ranking No. 3.
You can read WalletHub's full report here.
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