Gen Z News
Fun and affordable San Antonio shows up on new list of best cities for Gen Z
A new report confirms that San Antonio — with its vibrant arts and entertainment scene, diverse restaurants, and buzzy nightlife — is a great place for young adults to call home.
A new study by commercial real estate website CommercialCafe has pegged San Antonio as the No. 20 best city in the United States for Gen Z.
As the report puts it, the "experience-hungry generation" often seeks out an affordable area of town with vast opportunities for entertainment, education, or employment, which are three things San Antonio excels in.
Approximately 7.6 percent of the city's total population are Gen Zers, according to their analysis. (Gen Z is defined as the "newest generation," born between 1997 and 2012, now aged 11 to 26 years old.)
In the category for fun things to do, the study found that San Antonio has nearly 3,600 different recreational establishments for Gen Zers to enjoy. It's no wonder high-class restaurants like Nineteen Hyaku are making big debuts in San Antonio.
Other metrics that were taken into account in CommercialCafe's report include an affordability index, jobs for recent graduates, the city's unemployment rate, and the number of parks per 10,000 residents. Even though rents aren't exactly cheap, San Antonio is still more affordable than most large cities across the U.S.
"Specifically, we looked at the share that Gen Zers hold out of each city’s total population to identify where relocating young professionals are more likely to find like-minded individuals," the report's author said.
San Antonio wasn't the only Texas city to make it into the top 20. Austin (No. 7) and Houston (No. 9) ranked within the top 10, and Fort Worth ranked No. 17. Dallas, surprisingly, didn't make it onto CommercialCafe's list.
The top 10 best cities for Gen Z are:
- No. 1 – Minneapolis
- No. 2 – Atlanta
- No. 3 – Boston
- No. 4 – Columbus, Ohio
- No. 5 – Raleigh, North Carolina
- No. 6 – Tucson, Arizona
- No. 7 – Austin, Texas
- No. 8 – Milwaukee
- No. 9 – Houston
- No. 10 – Philadelphia