Where the most colleges are
Campus counts from College Scorecard, grouped by state, city, and Census region. Compare leaders to national medians and open full profiles for costs, debt, and outcomes.
At a glance
- California ranks first among states with 155 campuses — 5.5× the median (28). Nationwide, 1,667 campuses appear in our profiles across this grouping.
- New York ranks first among cities with 73 campuses — 18.2× the median (4). Nationwide, 3,635 campuses appear in our profiles across this grouping.
- Southeast ranks first among regions with 1,597 campuses — 2.7× the median (593). Nationwide, 6,322 campuses appear in our profiles across this grouping.
National comparison benchmarks
- States — median campuses per state/territory: 28 (max 155)
- Cities — median campuses per profiled city: 4 (max 73)
- Regions — median campuses per Census region: 593 (max 1,597)
See also state cost & outcome medians and regional profiles.
States & territories with the most campuses
Based on institutions in each state's Scorecard sample used for our state profiles.
| Rank | State | Campuses | Vs national median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 155 | +127 vs median |
| 2 | Texas | 98 | +70 vs median |
| 3 | New York | 79 | +51 vs median |
| 4 | North Carolina | 76 | +48 vs median |
| 5 | Illinois | 63 | +35 vs median |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 62 | +34 vs median |
| 7 | Georgia | 61 | +33 vs median |
| 8 | Ohio | 60 | +32 vs median |
| 9 | Minnesota | 54 | +26 vs median |
| 10 | Indiana | 48 | +20 vs median |
| 11 | Michigan | 47 | +19 vs median |
| 12 | Washington | 46 | +18 vs median |
| 13 | Florida | 43 | +15 vs median |
| 14 | Alabama | 41 | +13 vs median |
| 15 | Virginia | 39 | +11 vs median |
Cities with the most campuses
Cities with at least three institutions in our geo profile series. A single metro can host multiple community colleges, private schools, and public universities.
| Rank | City | State | Campuses | Vs city median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | New York | 73 | +69 vs median |
| 2 | Chicago | Illinois | 66 | +62 vs median |
| 3 | Houston | Texas | 60 | +56 vs median |
| 4 | Brooklyn | New York | 53 | +49 vs median |
| 5 | Los Angeles | California | 51 | +47 vs median |
| 6 | San Antonio | Texas | 44 | +40 vs median |
| 7 | Miami | Florida | 39 | +35 vs median |
| 8 | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | 34 | +30 vs median |
| 9 | Dallas | Texas | 31 | +27 vs median |
| 10 | San Diego | California | 30 | +26 vs median |
| 11 | Atlanta | Georgia | 29 | +25 vs median |
| 12 | Phoenix | Arizona | 28 | +24 vs median |
| 13 | Indianapolis | Indiana | 26 | +22 vs median |
| 14 | Boston | Massachusetts | 26 | +22 vs median |
| 15 | Washington | District of Columbia | 25 | +21 vs median |
Regions with the most campuses
Census regions aggregate every state in the region. The Southeast and Mid East typically lead on raw campus totals.
| Rank | Region | Campuses | Vs region median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southeast | 1,597 | +1004 vs median |
| 2 | Mid East | 1,013 | +420 vs median |
| 3 | Great Lakes | 926 | +333 vs median |
| 4 | Far West | 910 | +317 vs median |
| 5 | Southwest | 680 | +87 vs median |
| 6 | Plains | 506 | -87 vs median |
| 7 | New England | 306 | -287 vs median |
| 8 | Rocky Mountains | 223 | -370 vs median |
| 9 | Outlying Areas | 154 | -439 vs median |
| 10 | U.S. Service Schools | 7 | -586 vs median |