Thursday, May 26, 2016

The American Institute for Economic Research ranked Iowa City the #5 best college town in the country for its artsy vibes, remarkably low unemployment rate and diverse population.

Iowa City, which straddles the both sides of the Iowa River, ranks fifth among our college towns due to its educated and diverse populace. It is not surprising that over half of the population in this well-known college town has a BA. The youthful, artsy vibe here is courtesy of the University of Iowa campus. Off-campus students will find good art and natural history museums and thriving nightlife. Although rents can consume a big chunk of the budget, the city’s remarkably low unemployment and favorable labor-market conditions translate to short job searches for graduates.

#5 IOWA CITY, IOWA

POPULATION: 164,043

STUDENTS: 33,358

RANKING DETAIL:

#3 COLLEGE EDUCATED

#13 DIVERSITY

Quality of life

#5 CITY ACCESS

#10 ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

#19 BARS AND RESTAURANTS

Economics

#4 YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT

#8 LABOR FORCE

#7 INNOVATION

#14 RENT

College Towns Ranking

1 Boulder, Colo. > 2 Champaign-Urbana, Ill. > 3 Flagstaff, Ariz. > 4 Ithaca, N.Y. > 5 Iowa City, Iowa > 6 Bloomington, Ind. > 7 College Station, Texas > 8 Manhattan, Kan. > 9 Columbia, Mo. > 10 Bloomington, Ill. > 11 Charlottesville, Va. > 12 Lafayette, Ind. > 13 Fargo, N.D. > 14 Athens, Ga. > 15 State College, Pa. > 16 Rochester, Minn. > 17 Blacksburg, Va. > 18 Jacksonville, N.C. > 19 La Crosse, Wis. > 20 Bellingham, Wash. >