growin' fast

Old San Antonio neighbor is the 6th fastest-growing affordable suburb in the U.S.

Who wouldn't want to live somewhere with that small-town feel?

When thinking about San Antonio-area suburbs, "affordable" may not be the first word that comes to mind anymore. But according to moving experts MoveBuddha, New Braunfels earned a top 10 spot in a new report on the 20 fastest-growing affordable suburbs in the country.

New Braunfels' welcoming family-friendly attractions, coupled with its low housing prices, make it the No. 6 suburb in the study. The city's average housing prices come in at $377,573 as of September 2023.

Families are surely taking note of New Braunfels' kid-friendly attractions and its award-winning waterpark when determining their futures in the city. Its location — about 33 miles northeast of San Antonio — also plays a part in its thriving popularity.

The suburb's population has grown 14.3 percent since 2020, the study reports. But at a larger scale, the growth rate is more than twice as high. An earlier U.S. Census report also confirmed New Braunfels' skyrocketing population growth.

"If you blinked in 2017, you may have missed that the population of New Braunfels, Texas, shot through the roof, from 79,000 residents to over 104,000," the report's author wrote. "That’s over 32 percent growth, but all that popularity isn’t going to the city’s head."

For comparison, the north Austin suburb of Georgetown took the lead as the No. 1 fastest-growing suburb in the U.S., with MoveBuddha's research showing the city has had a 26.7 percent growth rate since 2020. Georgetown's average housing price is $453,376, a significantly higher cost than a home in New Braunfels.

Overall, nine out of the top 20 suburbs in the report reside in Texas. Two additional Austin-area suburbs joined Georgetown in the top three: Kyle (No. 2) and Leander (No. 3). Two North Texas cities – Little Elm north of Dallas and Burleson south of Fort Worth – earned No. 4 and No. 9, respectively. Conroe (outside Houston) ranked No. 10.

The top 10 fastest growing affordable American suburbs are:

No. 1 – Georgetown, Texas
No. 2 – Kyle, Texas
No. 3 – Leander, Texas
No. 4 – Little Elm, Texas
No. 5 – Westfield, Indiana
No. 6 – New Braunfels, Texas
No. 7 – Maricopa, Arizona
No. 8 – Buckeye, Arizona
No. 9 – Burleson, Texas
No. 10 – Conroe, Texas

The report defined a suburb as any "non-principal" city in a metropolitan area with a population of fewer than 100,000. More than 800 suburbs were examined based on 2020 and 2022 U.S. Census Bureau's population estimates, and narrowed down into the final 20. It also defined the "affordability" category by sorting cities with average home prices below $500,000 using the Zillow Home Value Index for single family homes. The cities were ultimately ranked based on their growth rates.

The full report can be found on movebuddha.com.

movebuddha population growth reports suburbs texas new braunfels san antonio san antonio-area suburbs

bang for your buck

San Antonio ZIP code is 4th most affordable place for renters in U.S.

Photo by Florian Schmid on Unsplash

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Trying to afford buying a home in San Antonio is difficult enough with current mortgage rates, and doubly so if you're already paying high rent on an apartment or a house. But there are six San Antonio ZIP codes where renters can get the most bang for their buck, according to a new study by financial services company CashNetUSA.

To find the most affordable ZIP codes for renters in the U.S., analysts compared median household incomes by ZIP code to the average annual rent costs in those areas using the Zillow Observed Rent Index. ZIP codes where the average annual rental constituted the lowest percentage of median household income were considered the "most affordable."

San Antonio's 78248 ZIP code specifically stood out as the No. 4 most affordable in the country, and the No. 1 most affordable in Texas. This area encompasses the north San Antonio neighborhoods of Inwood, Forests at Inwood, Oakwood, The Park at Deerfield, Canyon Creek Bluffs, Canyon Creek Village, Blanco Village, Deerfield, Cadillac Drive, and Churchill Estates.

According to the study's findings, the average monthly cost of a rental in 78248 comes out to $1,259.17, and the median annual income of a household in the area is $122,986. Analysts then calculated that the annual rent of a home in this ZIP code only takes up 12.29 percent of a household's median income, which is the fourth-lowest in the nation.

CashNetUSA found the No. 1 most affordable ZIP code for renters nationwide is 66224 in Leawood, Kansas, where annual rent only takes a 10.57 percent cut out of a household's median annual income.

Elsewhere in Texas, two Houston-area ZIP codes – 77401 and 77094 – ranked No. 9 and No. 12 nationally, while Allen's 75013 ZIP code fell two spots behind to claim the No. 14 spot.

The most affordable San Antonio-area ZIP codes for renters
CashNetUSA further unveiled the five most affordable ZIP codes across major U.S. cities, including in San Antonio, Austin, and Houston.

Following 78248 (which took the No. 1 spot citywide) is 78261 (No. 2), which spans east of Highway 281, across Smithson Valley Road. Rent costs in this ZIP code averaged out to $1,698 per month, the report found.

Landing in the No. 3 spot is 78258, which includes Rogers Ranch, The Vineyard, Stone Oak, Summit, Hidden Canyon, and Big Springs neighborhoods. The report said average rent in the area comes out to $1,507 per month, which takes up 17.54 percent of a household's median annual income.

The remaining top two most affordable ZIP codes for San Antonio renters are located in 78259 (Encino Park, Encino Ranch, Cavalo Creek Estates, Northwood Hills, Summit at Bulverde Creek, Roseheart, Redland Woods) and 78260 in Timberwood Park, which is about 25 miles north of downtown San Antonio.

rent rent prices affordable housing