SAN ANTONIO – Gen Z moved to San Antonio more than any other U.S. city in 2024, according to numbers released by Redfin.
According to the real estate brokerage, 10,678 people in the Gen Z demographic moved to San Antonio, ahead of Washington, D.C., with 8,631, Austin with 8,590, Nashville, Tennessee, with 8,093, and Dallas with 6,944.
The study also showed Gen Z leaving large, more expensive cities such as New York, Minneapolis and Los Angeles.
David MacPherson, the head of the economics department at Trinity University, reviewed the numbers.
“It surprised me a bit just how big an advantage that San Antonio had during this time period,” McPherson said. “I mean, it outranked even Austin, which typically is associated with attracting Gen Z.”
In a San Antonio Facebook group, people gave a range of reasons for choosing the city: job opportunities, the culture, the military and the warm weather. Overwhelmingly, they mentioned low cost of living and housing, and commenters favored San Antonio over Austin on housing costs.
MacPherson said average wages in the U.S. are around $32.50 an hour, compared with $28.50 in San Antonio.
“So it’s about $4 an hour less, but housing is significantly cheaper,” he said.
Along with affordability, McPherson said the draws include the food scene, the success of the Spurs and new developments like the Pearl.
Among millennials in 2024, 16,000 people moved to Houston, followed by Dallas, Baltimore, Las Vegas and Atlanta. Studies show millennials were also leaving big cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Miami.
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