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 published benchmarks from US federal statistical agencies. Percentile breakpoints are interpolated linearly between published cells. Figures are in current-year USD unless noted. Numbers are educational estimates, not personalized financial advice.