College dorm cost statistics

On-campus room & board at US colleges averages $14,060 per year (median $13,606) across the 1,071 institutions with published figures in this dataset — $13,062 at public colleges vs $14,826 at private. Massachusetts is the most expensive state (average $17,957); North Dakota the least ($9,614). Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard.

Every number on this page is computed from the same official College Scorecard figures our school pages cite — nothing is estimated or hand-entered. Free to cite with a link (how to cite). "Room & board" is the published annual on-campus cost and normally bundles a meal plan, not rent alone.

The national numbers

Across 1,071 US colleges with a published figure: average $14,060/year, median $13,606. The middle half of schools falls between $11,600 and $16,360 per year.

Public vs private

• Public colleges — average $13,062/year, median $12,604 (465 schools).
• Private colleges — average $14,826/year, median $14,536 (606 schools).

The public–private gap is about $1,764 per year on average — real, but far smaller than the tuition gap, and the distributions overlap heavily.

Average room & board by state

States with at least 3 reporting schools, most expensive first. Each state links to its packing lists and per-school costs.

1. Massachusetts — average $17,957/year (median $18,388, 52 schools)
2. California — average $17,851/year (median $18,020, 64 schools)
3. District of Columbia — average $17,200/year (median $17,652, 6 schools)
4. Rhode Island — average $17,102/year (median $17,444, 9 schools)
5. Connecticut — average $17,026/year (median $17,353, 16 schools)
6. New York — average $17,015/year (median $17,005, 88 schools)
7. New Jersey — average $16,742/year (median $16,844, 21 schools)
8. Vermont — average $15,999/year (median $15,875, 6 schools)
9. New Hampshire — average $15,506/year (median $14,889, 8 schools)
10. Maryland — average $15,200/year (median $15,146, 17 schools)
11. Washington — average $15,147/year (median $15,574, 15 schools)
12. Pennsylvania — average $15,135/year (median $14,710, 71 schools)
13. Oregon — average $15,097/year (median $15,634, 14 schools)
14. Arizona — average $14,858/year (median $14,700, 5 schools)
15. Colorado — average $14,748/year (median $15,602, 14 schools)
16. Hawaii — average $14,516/year (median $14,658, 5 schools)
17. Florida — average $14,426/year (median $14,396, 34 schools)
18. Maine — average $14,263/year (median $12,800, 11 schools)
19. Virginia — average $14,149/year (median $14,308, 31 schools)
20. Illinois — average $13,827/year (median $13,000, 41 schools)
21. Ohio — average $13,597/year (median $13,566, 38 schools)
22. North Carolina — average $13,449/year (median $13,374, 34 schools)
23. Indiana — average $13,158/year (median $12,970, 28 schools)
24. Nevada — average $12,981/year (median $12,628, 3 schools)
25. Georgia — average $12,874/year (median $12,675, 34 schools)
26. West Virginia — average $12,842/year (median $12,822, 10 schools)
27. Michigan — average $12,834/year (median $12,765, 34 schools)
28. Tennessee — average $12,659/year (median $12,692, 24 schools)
29. Minnesota — average $12,599/year (median $12,294, 24 schools)
30. Texas — average $12,413/year (median $11,876, 61 schools)
31. Missouri — average $12,012/year (median $11,920, 29 schools)
32. Idaho — average $11,891/year (median $12,281, 6 schools)
33. South Carolina — average $11,795/year (median $12,100, 21 schools)
34. Montana — average $11,750/year (median $11,834, 6 schools)
35. Iowa — average $11,671/year (median $11,650, 23 schools)
36. Louisiana — average $11,658/year (median $10,958, 18 schools)
37. Nebraska — average $11,624/year (median $11,235, 11 schools)
38. Kansas — average $11,439/year (median $11,327, 10 schools)
39. Kentucky — average $11,306/year (median $10,922, 20 schools)
40. Mississippi — average $11,295/year (median $11,920, 11 schools)
41. Wisconsin — average $11,107/year (median $11,320, 23 schools)
42. Alabama — average $10,822/year (median $11,328, 19 schools)
43. New Mexico — average $10,762/year (median $10,940, 5 schools)
44. Arkansas — average $10,615/year (median $10,000, 11 schools)
45. Utah — average $10,506/year (median $9,816, 4 schools)
46. South Dakota — average $10,241/year (median $10,251, 8 schools)
47. Oklahoma — average $9,771/year (median $9,700, 17 schools)
48. North Dakota — average $9,614/year (median $9,602, 6 schools)

By campus setting

• City campuses — average $14,488/year across 540 schools (median $14,041).
• Suburban campuses — average $15,107/year across 244 schools (median $14,879).
• Town campuses — average $12,255/year across 232 schools (median $11,827).
• Rural campuses — average $12,830/year across 55 schools (median $12,430).

Setting follows the federal NCES locale classification for each campus. Suburban and city campuses run the highest housing costs; town and rural campuses the lowest.

By school size

• Under 2,000 students — average $13,370/year (347 schools).
• 2,000–10,000 — average $14,211/year (523 schools).
• 10,000–25,000 — average $14,778/year (138 schools).
• Over 25,000 — average $15,038/year (63 schools).

The most expensive published figures

1. Academy of Art University (California) — $32,766/year
2. New York Institute of Technology (New York) — $27,000/year
3. School of Visual Arts (New York) — $25,400/year
4. The New School (New York) — $25,337/year
5. Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (Massachusetts) — $24,704/year

Common questions

How much does a college dorm cost per year?

Across 1,071 US colleges with published figures, on-campus room & board — housing plus a standard meal plan — averages $14,060 per year (median $13,606). Public colleges average $13,062; private colleges average $14,826. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Are dorms cheaper at public or private colleges?

Yes — on average. Published room & board averages $13,062/year at the 465 public colleges in this dataset versus $14,826/year at the 606 private ones: a gap of about $1,764 per year. The overlap is large, so always compare the specific schools.

Which state has the most expensive college housing?

Massachusetts, at an average of $17,957/year across 52 schools with published figures. The least expensive state with at least 3 reporting schools is North Dakota at $9,614/year.

How to cite these statistics

These figures are free to reuse under CC-BY-4.0 — cite DormBySchool with a link to this page. Suggested citation:

DormBySchool analysis of U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data (1,071 institutions, retrieved 2026-08-15). https://dormbyschool.com/statistics/

Methodology

Underlying figures are each institution's published annual on-campus room & board cost from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (retrieved 2026-08-15); averages and medians are computed across the 1,071 of 1,071 schools in the DormBySchool dataset that publish one. State rows require ≥3 reporting schools, setting/size bands ≥10 — below that, a single outlier would masquerade as an average. Figures update automatically as the dataset grows; last build 2026-08-28. Corrections: tell us.

What the money actually buys, and what you still need to bring: the complete dorm packing checklist · your school's list.

Last verified 2026-08-28

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