AnswerIn San Antonio, the median household income is $62,917. To rank in the top 20%, you need to earn more than $123,119. Top 5%: $224,664.
Median: $62,917 · Top 20%: $123,119 · Top 5%: $224,664
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-Year Estimates
San Antonio income percentile [2026]
Where San Antonio, Texashouseholds rank by income — sourced from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2023 5-year estimates, covering roughly 1,458,954 residents.
In San Antonio, TX, the median household income is $62,917. The bottom 20% earns under $27,001; the top 20% threshold is $123,119; the top 5% starts at $224,664. Median rent is $1,258/month and the median home value is $219,700. A $100,000 household income ranks at roughly the 70th percentile locally.
Key stats for San Antonio
Income percentile breakpoints
- 20th percentile (bottom quintile)
- $27,001
- 40th percentile
- $50,416
- Median (≈ 50th–60th percentile)
- $77,883
- 80th percentile (top 20%)
- $123,119
- 95th percentile (top 5%)
- $224,664
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-Year Estimates. City-level p60 is used as the “median-ish” row because ACS quintile upper limits bracket the household median near p60 for most big US cities.
Local economic context
San Antonio's income distribution is flatter than its big-Texas-metro peers, but it has real anchors that keep a meaningful top-quartile earner base. USAA is the single most important private employer — its Fredericksburg Road headquarters employs roughly 19,000 locally and drives an enormous financial services and insurance ecosystem around it. Valero Energy and NuStar Energy anchor the energy-finance slice downtown. HEB, the beloved Texas grocery chain, is headquartered here and runs a sophisticated corporate and logistics operation. Joint Base San Antonio (Fort Sam Houston, Lackland AFB, Randolph AFB) employs over 80,000 active-duty, civilian, and contractor personnel — the military economy is genuinely load-bearing, not decorative. Healthcare is enormous via Methodist Healthcare and University Health. Tech is the thin slice: Rackspace in Windcrest is the native-grown one, plus growing cybersecurity and telemedicine pockets. The housing story is simply that San Antonio is the most affordable top-10 US metro by a visible margin: a 3BR single-family in Alamo Heights, Terrell Hills, or Stone Oak runs $400K-$700K, and suburban new-construction in Boerne or Schertz is available under $400K. Property taxes are the Texas story — Bexar County rates near 2.3% eat meaningfully into that affordability advantage, so a $500K house carries a ~$11K annual bill. Commute reality is I-10, I-35, Loop 1604, and Loop 410, plus the chronic US-281 congestion north into Stone Oak. There is effectively no rail transit. Cost-of-living caveat: BEA RPP for San Antonio metro is roughly 91-93% of national — the lowest of any top-10 US city. A $100K salary here genuinely functions like $140K+ in NYC or San Francisco.
What this income feels like
Top 20% in San Antonio is, by strict purchasing power, the most comfortable top-20% in any top-10 US city. You own a 3BR-4BR house in Alamo Heights or Stone Oak, you tube on the Guadalupe in summer, and your HEB grocery run is unreasonably cheap. Property taxes are the sting — you wince every December. Childcare runs $1,100-$1,500/month, a third of coastal-city rates. The honest caveats: career ceilings are lower than Austin or Dallas for tech and finance, and you'll eventually need to leave town or go remote to break into top-decile comp unless you're at USAA, Valero, or a senior military rank.
Top 20% reality check
- You can own a 4BR in Stone Oak or Alamo Heights on a single top-20% income with money left over, a lifestyle that requires $400K+ household income in SF or NYC.
- Your Bexar County property-tax bill on a $550K house runs $12K-$13K a year, which is the hidden offset to Texas's zero state income tax.
- A USAA, Valero, or senior-military-adjacent household income of $180K puts you in the top 10% citywide — the same comp feels middle-of-the-pack in Austin or Dallas.
Cost-of-living reality
The median gross rent in San Antonio is $1,258/month, or roughly 24.0% of the median household income on an annualized basis. The national rent-burden average is about 30%, and anything north of that is treated as rent-burdened by HUD. San Antonio's median home value is $219,700, a price-to-income ratio of 3.5× — healthy markets run 3–4×, expensive coastal markets routinely exceed 6×. Mean one-way commute is 24.6 minutes, which compounds the real cost of living here for anyone not working remote.
Nearby cities
San Antonio community discussions
Local subreddits where cost-of-living and income questions get answered by residents. External links, open in a new tab.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good income in San Antonio?
In San Antonio, TX, the median household income is $62,917. Earning above $77,883 puts you in the top 40%, and clearing $123,119 places you in the top 20%. A "good" income depends on household size and housing choice, but $123,119 is a useful upper-middle-class threshold for this city.
How does San Antonio's median income compare to the US?
San Antonio's median household income of $62,917 is about 19.9% lower than the US median of $78,538 (ACS 2023 5-year, matched to the city vintage). Raw comparisons understate local cost-of-living; San Antonio's median rent of $1,258 and median home value of $219,700 are the relevant offsets.
What percentile is $100K in San Antonio?
A household income of $100,000 ranks at roughly the 70th percentile in San Antonio. That is interpolated from the local ACS quintile breakpoints: p20 $27,001, p40 $50,416, p60 $77,883, p80 $123,119, p95 $224,664.
Is San Antonio expensive to live in?
Median gross rent in San Antonio is $1,258/month, which is 24.0% of the median household income on an annualized basis — compared to the national rent-burden average of about 30%. The median home value is $219,700, a price-to-income ratio of 3.5× (healthy markets run 3-4×, expensive markets 6×+).
How is this calculated?
Figures come from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2023 5-year estimates for San Antonio, Texas. Income percentiles are city-level approximations derived from ACS B19080 household income quintile upper limits, interpolated from the local median and distribution. Rent burden uses B25071 (median gross rent as % of household income) and mean commute uses B08303.
Methodology & data sources
Calculations on this page use benchmarks from US federal statistical agencies. Percentile breakpoints are interpolated linearly between tabulated cells. Figures are in the dollars of each dataset's reference year unless noted. Numbers are educational estimates, not personalized financial advice.