Moving in
San Antonio sees influx of out-of-state renters, says study
As many Texans remain aghast at the staggering census numbers showing the state’s population growth, a new study finds that more than a third of renters who moved to San Antonio last year did indeed come from a different state.
A recent study released by self-storage platform StorageCafé finds that 33 percent of renters who relocated to San Antonio in 2020 came not from another Texas town, but from a different state.
Compared with other big Texas cities, that figure is fairly high, though Austin reigns as the biggest magnet in Texas for out-of-state renters, with about 40 percent of renters relocating to Austin last year coming from a different state. That compares with 30 percent for Houston, 24 percent for Fort Worth, 21 percent for Dallas, and 15 percent for Arlington.
The study notes that San Antonio attracts urban and suburban renters in nearly equal measure, and points to the city’s cost of living (7 percent lower than the national average) and a healthy recovery of the unemployment rate in the second half of last year as reasons the Alamo City continues to lure out-of-state renters.
In the study, Houston ranks fifth among the country’s top attractors of all renters in 2020. Almost 70 percent of Houston renters came from other places in Texas, with Katy topping the list (8.8 percent).
Two notches down, at No. 7, is Dallas, where Garland accounted for the most incoming renters last year (6.4 percent). Austin lands at No. 11, with Round Rock sending the most renters (6.1 percent). San Antonio sits in the No. 12 spot; the city of Converse led the way for Alamo City’s incoming renters (3.8 percent).
The Holiday Night Markets are a lot like farmers markets in the same location.Photo courtesy of Pearl
The Giving Machines are like vending machines that drop gift cards into a collection bin to show contributions.Photo courtesy of Pearl