Everything is bigger in Texas, and everything is better in San Antonio’s best suburbs. It’s our tenth time ranking San Antonio’s best suburbs, so you’d better believe we’ve got a system figured out.
Why would anyone want to live in the San Antonio area? We’re glad you asked! People of all ages absolutely love San Antonio’s River Walk, a 15-mile urban waterway that’s the most pleasant way to navigate the city. A walk along the river might end up at the Historic Market Square for a day of Mexican culture, food, and shopping, or howling at the moon after experiencing San Antonio’s epic nightlife. Of course, everyone remembers The Alamo, but even to this day San Antonio is known as Military City USA. Anyone who’s into Tex-Mex and/or BBQ will find plenty to love about San Antonio’s food scene, while kids and kids at heart will be happy to have Six Flags Fiesta Texas in their backyard.
So San Antonio’s great, but what suburbs are ideal for those who want the best the city has to offer without committing to the hustle and bustle of big-city life? Well, there’s a pretty simple geographic cheat sheet, considering that the entirety of the suburbs listed here is north of San Antonio. If the crime of the big city is what you’re trying to escape, then Fair Oaks Ranch, one of the safest places in Texas is your best bet. If you want to live in the wealthiest suburb, look no further than Shavano Park, where you’ll need to earn over $200,000/year to fit in. But if a low cost of living is your primary reason for eschewing the big city, then Schertz is probably right up your alley. And if you just want to live in a place where the economy works for everyone, then the sub-1% unemployment and poverty rates of Hollywood Park are sure to be a big draw.
Saddle up, strap on your Spurs, and get ready to dive into some barbacoa and Big Red, because we’re visiting the best San Antonio suburbs to live in for 2024.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around San Antonio for 2024:
It should come as no surprise that a couple of the suburbs listed above also featured on our list of the best places to live in Texas. With low crime, fully-functioning economies, and a plethora of fun things to do, any of these suburbs is sure to be a good bet for your next home. And if you change your mind and decide to move to San Antonio itself, then consult our list of the city’s best neighborhoods to get the full scoop.
So what San Antonio suburb is a cut above the rest? According to the latest Census data and our own SnackAbility scale, Alamo Heights is the best San Antonio suburb for 2024.
San Antonio has plenty more suburbs to consider, and even if you don’t end up in the top ten, you’ll still have easy access to the best dang mangonadas in the country. Check out the full list below to see how the rest of San Antonio’s suburbs stacked up.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Texas:
The 10 Best San Antonio Suburbs To Live For 2024
/10
Population: 7,417
Median Income: $149,332
Unemployment Rate: 1.1%
Poverty Rate: 3.4%
More on Alamo Heights: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Alamo Heights is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the San Antonio area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Alamo Heights.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $149,332 a year, which is the 6th highest in the San Antonio region. And only 1.12% are out of work. Homes average more than $699,020 each.
/10
Shavano Park is the second best ‘burb we looked at near San Antonio for 2024.
It ranks 2nd for incomes in the area and only 2.26% of residents lack insurance, good for 2nd best.
/10
Here in Hollywood Park, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the San Antonio metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Hollywood Park.
4. Olmos Park, TX
/10
Population: 2,286
Median Income: $179,500
Unemployment Rate: 9.4%
Poverty Rate: 6.0%
More on Olmos Park: Crime | Real Estate
Olmos Park ranks as the 4th best suburb of San Antonio for 2024.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Olmos Park and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 5,045
Median Income: $199,643
Unemployment Rate: 4.1%
Poverty Rate: 6.8%
More on Terrell Hills: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Coming in as the fifth best is Terrell Hills.
Terrell Hills gets kudos for having the 3rd most expensive homes in the San Antonio area, where houses sell for an average of $840,452. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 9,917
Median Income: $150,237
Unemployment Rate: 4.1%
Poverty Rate: 2.9%
More on Fair Oaks Ranch: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Fair Oaks Ranch is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 4.15%.
According to online reports, Fair Oaks Ranch is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the San Antonio area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Garden Ridge.
Garden Ridge schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 18.0 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 9,140
Median Income: $124,367
Unemployment Rate: 7.3%
Poverty Rate: 3.0%
More on Helotes: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Helotes is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 7.19% of people lack insurance, good for 8th in the area.
/10
Population: 5,827
Median Income: $107,315
Unemployment Rate: 0.5%
Poverty Rate: 5.8%
More on Bulverde: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Is ‘Everything Better In Bulverde?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
/10
Population: 32,640
Median Income: $116,510
Unemployment Rate: 5.7%
Poverty Rate: 3.7%
More on Cibolo: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
And rounding out the top ten for 2024 is Cibolo.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around San Antonio for 2024
Figuring out the best suburbs around San Antonio was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2018-2022 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of San Antonio.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 26 suburbs to evaluate around San Antonio.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 26 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near San Antonio.” We’re lookin’ at you, Alamo Heights.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best San Antonio suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best San Antonio ‘Burbs of 2024
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of San Antonio are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like San Antonio but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more Texas reading, check out:
Table: Best San Antonio Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alamo Heights, TX | 7,417 | $149,332 | $699,020 |
| 2 | Shavano Park, TX | 3,544 | $187,750 | $919,482 |
| 3 | Hollywood Park, TX | 3,123 | $137,411 | $510,127 |
| 4 | Olmos Park, TX | 2,286 | $179,500 | $951,332 |
| 5 | Terrell Hills, TX | 5,045 | $199,643 | $840,452 |
| 6 | Fair Oaks Ranch, TX | 9,917 | $150,237 | $670,180 |
| 7 | Garden Ridge, TX | 4,155 | $156,711 | $700,602 |
| 8 | Helotes, TX | 9,140 | $124,367 | $472,660 |
| 9 | Bulverde, TX | 5,827 | $107,315 | $484,817 |
| 10 | Cibolo, TX | 32,640 | $116,510 | $341,576 |
| 11 | Selma, TX | 11,067 | $95,692 | $305,330 |
| 12 | Castle Hills, TX | 3,982 | $102,768 | $450,113 |
| 13 | New Braunfels, TX | 92,993 | $85,827 | $374,671 |
| 14 | St. Hedwig, TX | 2,256 | $113,173 | $306,661 |
| 15 | Boerne, TX | 18,475 | $82,982 | $556,332 |
| 16 | Schertz, TX | 42,545 | $94,173 | $333,518 |
| 17 | Windcrest, TX | 5,825 | $85,984 | $319,618 |
| 18 | Live Oak, TX | 15,726 | $74,326 | $257,036 |
| 19 | Castroville, TX | 2,994 | $72,805 | $358,871 |
| 20 | Converse, TX | 28,052 | $77,237 | $259,387 |
| 21 | Leon Valley, TX | 11,485 | $58,784 | $266,122 |
| 22 | Kirby, TX | 8,134 | $58,880 | $188,045 |
| 23 | Balcones Heights, TX | 2,729 | $28,184 | $213,253 |
| 24 | Lytle, TX | 2,262 | $51,875 | $282,513 |
| 25 | Somerset, TX | 2,152 | $73,217 | $228,291 |
| 26 | Elmendorf, TX | 2,479 | $55,313 | $235,296 |