Places anchored by major universities and colleges have their own unique communities and housing needs. Here’s a look at key housing-market stats for U.S. college towns, from Eugene, OR to Madison, WI to Gainesville, FL.
With back-to-school season in full swing, we’re taking a look at housing markets in the 50 biggest college towns in the U.S.
Whether you’re a faculty or staff member, a parent looking to invest in housing in their student’s new neighborhood, or someone who happens to live in a college town, here’s a snapshot of sale prices, home sales, inventory, and other housing-market metrics in areas anchored by a university.
This is from a Redfin analysis of college towns in the U.S. To be considered a college town, a city’s population must be at least 10% students at a four-year, accredited university, and it must be at least 30 miles away from a metro area with a population of more than 1 million people. We identified 240 college towns; the top 50 by student population with at least 100 home sales in the relevant period are included in this ranking.
College Town Highlights
Among the 50 largest U.S. college towns, by student population
Where home sales are rising fastest (# of homes sold, YoY change)
-
- Bloomington, Indiana (Indiana University): 32.7%
- Pullman, WA (Washington State University): 23.1%
- Morgantown, WI (West Virginia University): 19.4%
Where homes are selling fastest (median days on market)
-
- Blacksburg, VA (Virginia Tech): 13 days
- Manhattan, KS (Kansas State University): 16 days
- West Lafayette, IN (Purdue University): 17 days
Where listings are rising fastest (# of new listings, YoY change)
-
- Bloomington, Indiana (Indiana University): 25.5%
- Blacksburg, VA (Virginia Tech): 25.2%
- Urbana, IL (University of Illinois): 24.2%
Where the most homes are selling at a premium (share of homes sold above asking price)
-
- Manchester, NH (University of New Hampshire, Manchester and Southern New Hampshire University): 63.4%
- Syracuse, NY (Syracuse University): 53.7%
- New Haven, CT (Yale University): 50.5%
Where homes are most expensive (median home-sale price)
-
-
- Santa Barbara, CA (University of California, Santa Barbara)
- Boca Raton, FL (Florida Atlantic University)
- Flagstaff, AZ (Northern Arizona University)
- For a longer list and more details, see our report on the 10 most expensive and 10 least expensive college towns in the U.S.
-
| College Towns: Housing Market Summary
50 largest college towns, by student population, with sufficient data Housing-market data: weighted average from January to July 2025 |
||||||||
| College
town |
Notable college | Median sale price | Median sale price, YoY | Home sales, YoY | Inventory, YoY | New listings, YoY | Median days on market | Share sold above asking price |
| Ames, IA | Iowa State University | $315,718 | 3.6% | 2.7% | 11.5% | 3.2% | 20 | 21.6% |
| Ann Arbor, MI | University of Michigan | $464,495 | -3.4% | 0.8% | 38.6% | 9.4% | 35 | 40.6% |
| Auburn, AL | Auburn University | $413,065 | 3.5% | 18.1% | 11.6% | 5.5% | 39 | 11.7% |
| Blacksburg, VA | Virginia Tech | $434,873 | -0.9% | 8.3% | 18.8% | 25.2% | 13 | 29.3% |
| Bloomington, IN | Indiana University | $330,538 | 2.2% | 32.7% | 73.0% | 25.5% | 62 | 13.6% |
| Boca Raton, FL | Florida Atlantic University | $822,701 | 9.3% | -3.9% | 7.6% | -3.7% | 86 | 3.8% |
| Champaign, IL | University of Illinois | $237,301 | 6.9% | 3.0% | 3.3% | 8.5% | 43 | 39.3% |
| College Station, TX | Texas A&M University | $348,901 | 1.8% | 4.1% | 36.6% | 10.2% | 40 | 1.0% |
| Columbia, MO | University of Missouri | $331,913 | 3.9% | 11.3% | 32.5% | 2.2% | 22 | 0.4% |
| Corvallis, OR | Oregon State University | $568,507 | 2.1% | -7.3% | -23.8% | -16.3% | 48 | 36.7% |
| Dayton, OH | Wright State University and University of Dayton | $137,261 | 7.3% | -6.2% | 13.6% | 0.8% | 42 | 26.6% |
| Daytona Beach, FL | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Bethune-Cookman University | $311,394 | 4.2% | 0.6% | 6.9% | -5.6% | 77 | 7.3% |
| Denton, TX | University of North Texas and Texas Woman’s University | $389,258 | -0.5% | -0.6% | 47.1% | 21.9% | 54 | 16.2% |
| East Lansing, MI | Michigan State University | $316,116 | 7.8% | -6.6% | 25.5% | -2.3% | 37 | 43.4% |
| Edinburg, TX | University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley | $274,951 | 2.7% | -4.9% | 24.3% | -4.5% | 94 | 16.7% |
| Eugene, OR | University of Oregon | $501,571 | 1.7% | 11.0% | 33.3% | 13.3% | 25 | 29.0% |
| Fayetteville, AR | University of Arkansas | $388,557 | 7.4% | -3.5% | 1.3% | -6.7% | 30 | 13.3% |
| Flagstaff, AZ | Northern Arizona University | $695,902 | 6.3% | 6.4% | 57.9% | 11.4% | 48 | 18.3% |
| Fort Myers, FL | Florida Gulf Coast University | $358,417 | -7.7% | -10.7% | 22.1% | -6.8% | 76 | 4.4% |
| Gainesville, FL | University of Florida | $274,229 | 2.6% | -6.0% | 23.7% | 1.8% | 43 | 12.4% |
| Greensboro, NC | University of North Carolina, Greensboro | $280,594 | 0.9% | -3.6% | 23.8% | -0.4% | 39 | 24.4% |
| Greenville, NC | East Carolina University | $247,266 | -1.5% | 1.2% | 32.3% | 3.0% | 22 | 25.4% |
| Iowa City, IA | University of Iowa | $320,063 | 6.3% | 15.2% | 34.8% | 24.0% | 51 | 24.9% |
| Knoxville, TN | University of Tennessee | $323,214 | 2.3% | -1.4% | 42.3% | 15.3% | 53 | 19.6% |
| Lake Worth, FL | Palm Beach State College | $392,125 | 2.8% | -6.3% | 28.4% | -2.1% | 95 | 5.9% |
| Lawrence, KS | University of Kansas | $308,313 | 0.9% | -5.4% | -1.2% | 3.5% | 37 | 24.6% |
| Logan, UT | Utah State University | $392,877 | -0.3% | 4.9% | 39.3% | 21.8% | 50 | 22.4% |
| Lubbock, TX | Texas Tech University | $240,210 | 3.1% | 6.0% | 9.0% | -1.5% | 61 | 0.1% |
| Lynchburg, VA | Liberty University | $271,885 | 0.9% | -4.7% | 46.7% | -1.4% | 22 | 28.1% |
| Madison, WI | University of Wisconsin | $433,389 | 2.4% | 3.9% | 8.0% | 2.4% | 43 | 49.4% |
| Manchester, NH | University of New Hampshire, Manchester and Southern New Hampshire University | $456,096 | 6.9% | 15.2% | 53.9% | 20.1% | 20 | 63.4% |
| Manhattan, KS | Kansas State University | $291,050 | 9.1% | 1.2% | 16.5% | 5.6% | 16 | 0.0% |
| Morgantown, WV | West Virginia University | $269,154 | 2.1% | 19.4% | -23.0% | -11.0% | 77 | 13.7% |
| Mount Pleasant, MI | Central Michigan University | $201,768 | 7.4% | 11.8% | 17.3% | -1.6% | 65 | 20.1% |
| New Haven, CT | Yale University | $373,331 | 12.8% | 10.5% | -19.4% | 10.1% | 55 | 50.5% |
| Orem, UT | Utah Valley University | $517,224 | 6.8% | -5.8% | 32.8% | 1.1% | 39 | 27.0% |
| Provo, UT | Brigham Young University | $474,745 | 7.9% | 0.8% | 31.4% | 11.8% | 29 | 22.7% |
| Pullman, WA | Washington State University | $452,137 | 0.2% | 23.1% | 15.0% | 19.8% | 52 | 14.4% |
| Rexburg, ID | Brigham Young University, Idaho | $359,184 | 17.8% | 4.0% | 13.7% | 7.0% | 49 | 0.0% |
| Santa Barbara, CA | University of California, Santa Barbara | $1,964,170 | 4% | 8.2% | 44.8% | 14.9% | 50 | 30.4% |
| Springfield, MO | Missouri State University | $208,594 | 4.9% | 1.4% | 33.5% | 5.2% | 21 | 0.4% |
| Stillwater, OK | Oklahoma State University | $253,086 | 8.4% | 1.4% | -20.9% | -11.8% | 34 | 16.9% |
| Syracuse, NY | Syracuse University | $169,779 | 12.1% | -7.0% | 2.7% | -6.1% | 32 | 53.7% |
| Tallahassee, FL | Florida State University | $272,148 | -1.4% | -0.5% | 23.1% | 8.4% | 65 | 17.3% |
| Tuscaloosa, AL | University of Alabama | $271,901 | 6.9% | 1.5% | 5.7% | -7.3% | 28 | 13.2% |
| Urbana, IL | University of Illinois | $238,939 | 18.7% | -11.7% | -3.8% | 24.2% | 53 | 35.9% |
| West Lafayette, IN | Purdue University | $394,251 | 5.8% | -0.6% | 61.7% | 18.7% | 17 | 32.3% |
Dana Anderson
As a data journalist at Redfin, Dana Anderson writes about the numbers behind real estate trends. Redfin is a full-service real estate brokerage that uses modern technology to make clients smarter and faster. For more information about working with a Redfin real estate agent to buy or sell a home, visit our Why Redfin page.
Email Dana
Get a home loan
that helps you win
Join us on X for more
#housingmarket updates