With Americans struggling financially due to high inflation and a year of community college nearly three times less expensive than a year at a public four-year college, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2023’s Best & Worst Community Colleges, coupled with its state-by-state ranking of the Best & Worst Community-College Systems, as well as expert commentary.
To determine where students can receive the best education at the cheapest rates, WalletHub compared more than 650 community colleges across 19 key indicators of cost and quality. The data set ranges from the cost of in-state tuition and fees to student-faculty ratio to graduation rate.
| Top 20 Community Colleges | ||
| 1. State Technical College of Missouri (MO) | 11. Mitchell Technical College (SD) | |
| 2. Manhattan Area Technical College (KS) | 12. Santa Fe Community College (NM) | |
| 3. Northwest Iowa Community College (IA) | 13. Central New Mexico Community College (NM) | |
| 4. Mt. Hood Community College (OR) | 14. Howard Community College (MD) | |
| 5. Alexandria Technical & Community College (MN) | 15. Pasadena City College (CA) | |
| 6. College of San Mateo (CA) | 16. San Juan College (NM) | |
| 7. Clackamas Community College (OR) | 17. St. Cloud Technical and Community College (MN) | |
| 8. Manchester Community College (CT) | 18. Pratt Community College (KS) | |
| 9. Asnuntuck Community College (CT) | 19. Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NE) | |
| 10. Montgomery College (MD) | 20. Three Rivers Community College (CT) | |
| States with the Best Community-College Systems | |
| 1. New Mexico | 11. North Dakota |
| 2. Connecticut | 12. Iowa |
| 3. Maryland | 13. Michigan |
| 4. Oregon | 14. Kansas |
| 5. Minnesota | 15. Tennessee |
| 6. Washington | 16. Hawaii |
| 7. Wyoming | 17. Nebraska |
| 8. South Dakota | 18. New York |
| 9. Colorado | 19. Massachusetts |
| 10. Wisconsin | 20. California |
