POPULATION BOOM
San Antonio vaults past Philadelphia in U.S. population rankings
San Antonio's population is booming — even if the skyline is staying the same.
After years in seventh place, San Antonio is now the sixth-biggest metropolis in the United States, passing Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for the first time.
According to the statistics website World Population Review, the Alamo City is now home to 1,570,314 residents, beating out the City of Brotherly Love's 1,560,480 2026 estimate. This represents a 1.46 percent increase in San Antonio's population, the largest percentage increase of any major Texas city except Fort Worth. Even in a state that has experienced explosive growth over the last decade, San Antonio stands out.
San Antonio still lags behind Houston, which, with 2,435,715 residents, remains the fourth-largest city in the United States after Chicago, Illinois. However, like Philadelphia, Chicago has had a significant decline in population since 2020 (0.22 percent compared to Houston's 0.97 percent growth), so it may not be long before another Texas city climbs the ranks.
Of course, estimating the population of a city depends on perspective. For instance, if you consider New Braunfels as part of the Greater San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area, then the city's population jumps to 2,763,006, even more people than the Windy City. But that only makes the Alamo City region the 24th largest in the U.S. The Dallas-Fort Worth metro dwarfs Alamo City at around 8.3 million people.
It's not hard to see why more people are moving to San Antonio. The city is getting increasing national attention due to its diverse collection of restaurants, entertainment venues, and shops. And the cost of living in San Antonio is low, with the most affordable housing growth since 2020.
Many out-of-staters are also lured by Texas' lack of a state income tax, even if the state's effective tax rate is actually much higher than many of its neighbors.
In general, all of Texas is growing according to both World Population Review and the most-recent U.S. Census. That growth shows no signs of stopping, so expect to keep seeing new faces in the Lone Star State’s “biggest small town.”

Scott Chidgey shows off a planting site at the San Antonio Zoo.Photo courtesy of Bexar Blooms