Like all cities, San Antonio appreciates seeing its name in the lights. We are world-famous for the Spurs, the Alamo and the Missions and the River Walk. The Pearl and the Museum and Mission Reaches of the San Antonio River are increasingly drawing attention, too.
Then there is the other kind of attention not so welcome, when San Antonio’s name turns up on the wrong lists. We’ve all grimaced while reading about our obesity rates, poverty and dropout levels, and other significant challenges.
I turned with some enthusiasm and expectation late last night to the tablet edition of the New York Times and the headline, “Where Young College Graduates Are Choosing to Live.” The story was based on the first report issued by City Observatory, a new think tank, titled Young and Restless: How Is Your City Doing? The report ranks the 51 metro areas doing the best job of attracting college-educated young professionals.
San Antonio, I hoped, would be among the hot new destination cities.
“The Young and Restless—25 to 34 year-olds with a bachelor’s degree or higher level of education—are increasingly moving to the close-in neighborhoods of the nation’s large metropolitan areas,” the report states at the outset. “This migration is fueling economic growth and urban revitalization.
“Using data from the recently released American Community Survey, this report examines population change in the 51 metropolitan areas with 1 million or more population, and focuses on the change in population in close-in neighborhoods, those places within 3 miles of the center of each metropolitan area’s primary central business district.”
The study confirmed these key trends:
- Young, college age professionals are disproportionately found in the nation’s 51 largest metro areas, those with one million people or more.
- The young professional are moving in to close-in urban neighborhoods in these cities, rejecting the suburbs.
- More businesses are relocating to the urban core of cities to make themselves more attractive to these workers.
- The availability of talented young workers has high correlation to the formation of startup businesses.
- Talented young professionals are key to urban revitalization.
- Young, talented workers are the most mobile Americans.
So far, so good. Sounded like San Antonio to me. Then I read on.
Denver, San Diego, Nashville, Salt Lake City and Portland. Those were the cities leading the pack. Hmm. No mention of San Antonio at the top. We must be in the next tier, I told myself. Scanning down, I saw that Houston and Austin both made the accompanying chart of leading cities the Times published, but still no San Antonio. I finished the article without reading a mention of the city.
That sent me back to the study itself, and what I found was not pretty. As I scrolled through the third section of the report, “The Young and Restless by Metropolitan Area,” my eye caught this paragraph:
San Antonio, Las Vegas and Riverside have the lowest levels of college attainment among 25 to 34 year olds (less than 25 percent in each case), even though in each instance college attainment rates have increased for this age group over the past decade.
The good news for San Antonio, buried at number 35 on the list of 51 cities, is that over the last decade, the city’s college graduate population has grown by 50.5%, a rate that is near the top of the list of the 51 cities. The problem? San Antonio’s total number of college graduates was so low in the year 2000 that even 50.5% growth by 2010 only gives us 80,137 college grads between the ages of 25-34, compared to 302,521 in Dallas (20.1% growth), 278,898 in Houston (49.1% growth) and 128,027 in Austin (44.3% growth).
Put another way, San Antonio is 8,000 college graduates behind Austin’s 2000 number. In other words, the city has engineered a significant turn around in the last decade, and the numbers from 2010-14 are probably even more impressive, based on anecdotal evidence, but San Antonio was starting from such a low point that even now it badly trails its competitor cities.
You have to read to page 19 of the report to find this glimmer of hope:
The difference in the experiences of the three largest metros in Texas is interesting. Since 2000, total population has grown about 30 percent in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. But while Houston and San Antonio have seen their population of well-educated young adults increase by 50 percent, the increase in Dallas has lagged behind overall population growth, and is up 20 percent. In Houston and San Antonio, the growth of talented young workers leads overall population growth; in Dallas it lags.
Some regional cities that often appear on the same lists as San Antonio, including Portland, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Columbus, Raleigh and Charlotte, have numbers that actually look more like Austin than San Antonio.
The study also ranks the same 51 metro areas based on the percentage of 25-34 year-olds in each city who are college grads. Here San Antonio falls to third worst in the group, improving from 21% to 25% in the 2000-10 decade. Only Las Vegas and Riverside, CA fare worse. In the top cities – Washington D.C., San Francisco, Boston and San Jose – 50% or more of 25-34 year-olds have a four-year degree. In Austin, it’s 40.8%; Dallas, 30.7%; and Houston, 29.7%.
While San Antonio placed unprecedented attention on “The Decade of Downtown” under former Mayor Julián Castro, demographic trends showed that for all its urban core transformation, San Antonio continued to develop as one of the most sprawling cities in the country, with many of the city’s best jobs located far from the central city. So it’s no surprise that in the study’s measurements of the top metro area for young urban professionals living in close-in neighborhoods, San Antonio ranks fourth from last, with less than 3,000 college educated workers living in close-in neighborhoods in 2010, according to the census data that forms the basis for the report. That’s 41% better than the 2000 count, but still very low.
The good news is that construction and leasing of new residential units alone in the urban core shows that San Antonio’s inner city, college-educated population is growing robustly, but again, the city is improving on a very weak position.
The study is bound to spark a local debate among city leaders, planners and developers about how best to accelerate the positive trends: Do we build more residential density and expect the jobs to follow, or does San Antonio need to attract more employers downtown to keep growing the population of inner city, college-educated professionals?
It’s a timely conversation as As City Council takes the next steps in Mayor Ivy Taylor’s efforts to produce a comprehensive development master plan and transportation master plan. The Comprehensive Planning Committee‘s next scheduled meeting will be Thursday at 11 a.m. in the B Session room of the Municipal Plaza Building.
*Featured/top image: View of downtown San Antonio from UTSA’s Downtown Campus. Courtesy photo.
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Awesome article Robert.
Excellent article. Yes, we need more employers downtown. And better public transit. Kinda silly when you have to drive out of downtown to work in a suburb. I did that in Dallas for a while.
I have lived in SF and Austin, and was surprised when I moved to SA at the lack of brainy hangouts like independent bookstores in walkable retail districts. Most entertainment aimed at young people here seems to involve shot bars blinking with giant TVs. The attack on Uber is also a good way to keep the creative class away. Doh!
My employer is opening a downtown office in 2015 (but without the kinds of roles that would attract young folks with bachelor degrees). However, we do have initiatives (i.e. millennial and MBA recruiting programs) that seen to be attracting more freshly-degreeed people to our ranks. Companies and orgs need do their part to attract this talent–the city can’t do it alone.
The beauty of San Antonio is in its geographic diversity of job and neighborhood growth and location. From downtown to Alamo Heights to Westover Hills to Stone Oak or Sendero Ranch, San Antonio offers something (and someplace) for everyone. There is no reason to artificially force everyone to move downtown. Many people choose to live in certain places based upon a variety of factors like schools, size/type of house and yard, proximity to parents and family, etc. We should be respectful of each choice.
Yes, I think so too. The focus on downtown is absolutely absurd.
Sweet, less competition.
Bob, thanks for writing this. I had a similar reaction when I read the article and accompanying charts. I searched twice for San Antonio but then just moved on. Thanks again for the analysis.
Not at all surprising to me. Too much of the hype of SA is and always has been simply a facade behind which lies a city of similar size and little more than Ciudad Juarez without the drug violence. Since WWII San Antonio has been sold as a low wage town and still is. Only since Hemisfair has SA put any serious effort into attracting new business. But Houston and Dallas already had the jump on SA. When you can walk into a convenience store here, pay for something in cash, get your change and then ask the clerk why that’s the correct change and he/she gives the correct answer, SA will start making real progress. The problems in education here, and Texas in general, are the root of the problem. The biggest economic boon to SA’s working folks is Eagleford. It doesn’t take a lot of education to work in the oil fields and make good money. But that is more by accident than design. Until the education problem is fixed, SA will be little more than a Ciudad Juarez, a similar sized city, without the violence but with the same problems of poor and uneducated residents. But we try to pass ordinances outlawing begging. Sorry, but that’s the ugly truth about SA.
Great story… Good way to raise awareness…
Very good article.
1 in 8 jobs is in hospitality, which doesn’t require education and is low wage.
What about the young people choosing to stay in San Antonio? I fall in this age range and have, for the most part, grown up in this city. Sure, I’ve had my love/hate relationship with SA-who hasn’t with their own city-and when I was a teen I too salivated over Austin’s too-cool-for-anyone’s music scene and w/ each trip to SXSW, I slowly plotted my move to ATX. However, now, being older, more financially aware of where I stand and what I can comfortably afford, I’ve come to take more pride and appreciate SA for all that it has and all that it’s taking on-we’re growing in the right direction. So, Austin’s still the musical capital of the world-and it will always be, but it’s also almost painfully expensive to reside in & it’s population is exploding… almost too quickly. When I went there for business, and not for fun, I quickly realized it’s not the city for me. Unless you make quite a bit of money, you pretty much have to bet on living with a roommate or 2 if you want to leave anywhere near tall he action. I’m at the age where I don’t want a roommate & in SA, I can afford to not have one and pursue my career. My close friends feel the same way. Austin could not afford me that kind of luxury. We need to give our city at least another 5-10 years and I’m sure we will see ourselves lists such as this. We have a lot of work to do-for example, we’re still a very, very segregated city, which is a shame considering we mostly pride ourselves in our heritage. An increase in parks (safer parks) and more adequate transportation will help. I think we are headed in the right direction and I have faith in Mayor Ivy Taylor and our city leaders.
I’m 30, have a college degree, and just moved here. It was a tough decision. Moving from Austin, a city that has a lot to offer somebody of my age and interests, to San Antonio didn’t sound that appetizing. There are too many strip centers, too much Metallica, and I find that SA is compartmentalized. I go to Southtown because it offers more of what I think most people in my age are looking for: something different. However, other than the random weekend excursion to that area, I hardly ever leave the confines of my neighborhood. And really, what is it with the strip centers here? There are so many! And why aren’t there any local coffee shops? Sure, Starbucks is great for consistency, but where are the individual businesses? I yearn for a patio bar that plays music from today, not what I listened to in high school. I think before San Antonio will ever be listed in the “top places for educated young people” list, there’s going to have to be a major cultural change. Spurs games are fun, but an NBA team is not enough of a reason to move here.
This should be printed out and read aloud before every city council meeting.
I’d be curious to see stats not on how many college students are moving…but how many are actually satisfied with their move. And how many found a job related to their degrees once they moved.
It sucks to be the underdog, especially when you know you have something better to offer. San Antonnio is a diamond in the rough…its biggest obstacle is education and ingrained, close minded culture.
As a newly graduating senior with a job in investment banking, I can not wait to leave this area. Whether it is the bigotry towards different lines of thought or the systematic overkill that is conservative (I am conservative) thinking in this city, I cannot help but feel suffocated by the “free-thinkers” here. Born in Corpus Christi, I know San Antonio is better, but the farthest south I will ever live is Austin. At least in Austin, I perceive young persons (like me) as entrepreneurial and seek to develop something great (professionally). That feeling is intoxicating. I think SA could one day be amazing, but I won’t wait around trying to fix it. My advice: create a city of openness, acceptance, and professional passion. Keep taxes low on small businesses and decriminalize marijuana.
Goodluck San Antonio, and I’ll see you in 25 years.
The charm of SA has been “big city with a sleepy Mexican town feel.” In reality its military, retirees and generation after generation sticking around. It’s a family town not a young singles, DINK, type of town. Large companies come here for cost saving measures to get generally good employees at lower than average wages based upon the national average.
As large (population and size) as this city is there is not a good mass transportation system. The metropolitan/urban feel has started but everyone cannot live at Pearl…I’m sick of the one or two points of reference in this town as the go to locations to prove SA is metropolitan/urban.
San Antonio is what it is…and what is needed to attract ppl who want a more metro/urban lifestyle is what this city is not.
Perhaps one needs to live in a city like San Francisco or New York first in order to fully appreciate San Antonio’s relative affordability.
Jessica B — I’ve missed you. Hope you are well.
I too have had the love/hate relationship with SA. But leaving for a few years and paying out the wazoo for living quarters out in west Texas made me appreciate what the city now has to offer such as the up and coming Broadway area. Never in a million years would I think about living down here. But if you were to see the prices on everything out in the Midland area you would come and say wow what a bargain,I’ve been robbed. For the same price you get a basic apartment in the ghetto no washer hookups nothing. Now I have all of the newest eateries and river access Steps away. Not to mention my neighbors well generally all of the people in the area are a great mix of younger and older professionals much like you see in Austin and the bigger cities. It’s nothing like the old SA folk that I’m so used to being around. People seem to be generally happier and in turn gives you a sense of pride. I look to see SA on one of these lists in the future. Just check out all of the development including eateries, bars and residential spots along the river its a great feeling!!
San Antonio has made great gains since I moved here in 1998. There are now many more fine restaurant and hotels. What remains disappointing for the seventh largest city is the lack of sophistication in economic development. The city still suffers from the two extremes of the haves and have nots. There has been no bridge of education, economic or Industrial to pull this city out of its’ divisive past. It is as if the city prefers to remain in the past (without a Tesla Giga Factory) to maintain the continuity of the class structure of the north vs south sued and east vs west side.
The NYT piece was statistically challenged though, as focusing comparatively on growth alone of any demographic
My husband and I moved to San Antonio as “young professionals” five years ago at the age of 30. We were living in San Marcos and our jobs allowed us to buy a home anywhere between Austin, Houston, San Antonio or anywhere in between. After months of searching, we realized that downtown San Antonio gave us everything we wanted and it was well within our budget. After 5 years, we have seen huge changes and continue to have high hopes for the city. We are now raising our little one here, and plan to live here for many years to come. I work in Austin a few times each month and I am always so glad to get out of there and get back to the relaxed pace of San Antonio. Knowing how much we love SA, I can’t believe we ever considered buying our home and settling in Austin.
I am a big believer in moving away. Move away from what’s familiar. Move somewhere new. Test yourself, try new waters. So I tend to strongly encourage my students, most of whom are Texans and locals, to seek opportunities elsewhere. But I would also encourage students from around the country to seek opportunities here. I think change is good, movement is important for personal growth and city growth. I’m not too worried about “keeping people” but am worried about “attracting” people.
As an Austin native who plans to stay in San Antonio for many years to come, I am happy to see the slow improvements around S.A. I live close to downtown and look forward to continuing progress, but it is almost comical to see how slow progress is made in this town. Part of that is the charm of San Antonio, its relaxing pace and old world charm (and affordability). But there are so many things the city could be doing to bring downtown into the modern era. The vacant buildings need to go, the parks need to be spruced up and more trails and public transportation are necessary. Notice that every apartment complex built near downtown instantly fills up with renters. If you build it, they will come.
All complaints aside, the city added 30,000 jobs last year and will continue to grow. The area around downtown is already turning over quickly and I am excited to be on the ground floor of something new.