The American Institute for Economic Research (AIER) recently released a study on college destinations that names Ames as the best college town in the United States.

The study, which was released Nov. 23, ranked the top college towns with a population under 250,000 in the country. Iowa City was ranked third on the list, with Ithaca, N.Y., in second.

“In its 2015/2016 College Destinations Index, the cities that ranked highest overall in each city size category were San Francisco; San Jose, Calif.; Boulder, Colo.; and Ames, Iowa,” according to the press release from AIER.

The press release stated the annual ranking is based on 11 criteria “that gauge each area’s cultural and economic qualities.”

These 11 criteria are youth unemployment rate, share of college-educated population, economic vitality, STEM workers, price of rent, public transportation, availability of arts and entertainment, employees in cultural institutions, clubs and restaurants, cost of living (minus rent) and diversity.

The study also ranked three categories of metros: major, midsize and small. 

Detailed rankings of the study are available at www.aier.org/cdi.