A Michigan City Ranks as Worst College Town in America
Michiganders take great pride in their colleges. And of course, living in Lansing we've got one right next door (Michigan State University).
We love our Spartans and our Wolverines and our Chips and everyone else. However, that doesn't mean that every college town is great, or that there aren't some that are better than others. And according to WalletHub, there is a definite ranking of where those Michigan college towns fall on the list of "2023's Best College Towns & Cities in America".
WalletHub decided to help prospective college students out for next year and compile a list of colleges across America and how they stack up against one another. They looked at over 400 cities and compared "32 key indicators of academic, social and economic opportunities for students." Meaning they looked at how much it costs to live in that town; does the town have good academic programs; does the town have job opportunities; what are the crime rates; and even whether or not the town had a "fun social environment" so that students could blow off steam.
Worst College Town in America
After looking at all of those factors, I'm sad to report that there was one Michigan town that ranked at the absolute bottom of the list.
Flint, Michigan.
Of the total of 415 cities that made the list, unfortunately, Flint, Michigan ranks dead last. As far as academic and economic opportunities, that ranks 414th. Combine that with the ranking of 158th and 387th for "wallet friendliness" and "social environment" respectively, Flint's overall score isn't great.
Michigan College Towns
If you're looking for a Michigan college town that ranks a bit higher, a city higher on the list is East Lansing with an overall ranking of 142. East Lansing ranks high in "social environment" with a score of 36. And it didn't do too badly in "wallet friendliness" either with a score of 116. "Academic and economic opportunities" leaves a little something to be desired though, with a score of 367.
You can check out how other college towns across the country compared, here.