The city's numbers tell the story: nearly 39% of Kent's population falls in the 20-to-24 age range — among the highest of any city on the list — with an average monthly rent of $1,518 and a total annual cost of living of $40,127, making it one of the more affordable destinations on the list. Locations were ranked by livability index, which MoneyLion calculated using cost-of-living data sourced from Sperling's BestPlaces and rental data from the Zillow Observed Rental Index.
Kent State University anchors life in the city, drawing students from across Ohio and beyond to a campus community known for its academic quality, student support and vibrant downtown. The university's presence — with more than 34,000 undergraduate and graduate students and eight campuses across Northeast Ohio — is inseparable from what makes Kent a standout college town.
Kent shares the list with college towns that are home to some of the country's most recognized universities, including the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (No. 4), Purdue University in West Lafayette (No. 3) and Harvard and MIT in Cambridge (No. 13). That Kent stands alongside these destinations — and ranks ahead of many of them — reflects the genuine quality of life the city and university together offer students and families.
The recognition adds to a growing list of national acknowledgments for the city and university in recent years, underscoring Kent's reputation not only as a place to earn a degree, but as a place worth putting down roots.
Learn more about Downtown Kent
