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 156 campuses — 6.2× the median (25). Nationwide, 1,671 campuses appear in our profiles across this grouping.
- New York ranks first among cities with 70 campuses — 23.3× the median (3). Nationwide, 4,515 campuses appear in our profiles across this grouping.
- Southeast ranks first among regions with 1,584 campuses — 2.7× the median (592). Nationwide, 6,274 campuses appear in our profiles across this grouping.
National comparison benchmarks
- States — median campuses per state/territory: 25 (max 156)
- Cities — median campuses per profiled city: 3 (max 70)
- Regions — median campuses per Census region: 592 (max 1,584)
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 | 156 | +131 vs median |
| 2 | Texas | 99 | +74 vs median |
| 3 | New York | 79 | +54 vs median |
| 4 | North Carolina | 76 | +51 vs median |
| 5 | Illinois | 63 | +38 vs median |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 62 | +37 vs median |
| 7 | Georgia | 61 | +36 vs median |
| 8 | Ohio | 60 | +35 vs median |
| 9 | Minnesota | 54 | +29 vs median |
| 10 | Indiana | 48 | +23 vs median |
| 11 | Michigan | 47 | +22 vs median |
| 12 | Washington | 46 | +21 vs median |
| 13 | Florida | 43 | +18 vs median |
| 14 | Alabama | 41 | +16 vs median |
| 15 | Virginia | 39 | +14 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 | 70 | +67 vs median |
| 2 | Chicago | Illinois | 66 | +63 vs median |
| 3 | Houston | Texas | 61 | +58 vs median |
| 4 | Brooklyn | New York | 53 | +50 vs median |
| 5 | Los Angeles | California | 50 | +47 vs median |
| 6 | San Antonio | Texas | 44 | +41 vs median |
| 7 | Miami | Florida | 41 | +38 vs median |
| 8 | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | 34 | +31 vs median |
| 9 | Dallas | Texas | 31 | +28 vs median |
| 10 | Phoenix | Arizona | 29 | +26 vs median |
| 11 | San Diego | California | 29 | +26 vs median |
| 12 | Atlanta | Georgia | 29 | +26 vs median |
| 13 | Boston | Massachusetts | 26 | +23 vs median |
| 14 | Nashville | Tennessee | 25 | +22 vs median |
| 15 | Indianapolis | Indiana | 24 | +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 | 1,584 | +992 vs median |
| 2 | Mid East | 1,005 | +412 vs median |
| 3 | Great Lakes | 918 | +326 vs median |
| 4 | Far West | 898 | +306 vs median |
| 5 | Southwest | 688 | +96 vs median |
| 6 | Plains | 497 | -96 vs median |
| 7 | New England | 299 | -294 vs median |
| 8 | Rocky Mountains | 223 | -370 vs median |
| 9 | Outlying Areas | 155 | -438 vs median |
| 10 | U.S. Service Schools | 7 | -586 vs median |