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San Antonio is the third poorest among the nation's ten most populous cities, according to the most recent American Community Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau. San Antonio ranked after Philadelphia and Houston.
The ranking is based on research done in 2022 that found 18.7% of the Alamo City's 1.4 million residents lived below the poverty line. The poverty percentage compared to 2021 was up nearly 2%.
The federal definition for poverty is individuals earning less than $13,590 or a family of three earning less than $23,030.
San Antonio finished well below the state average percentage of 14% and national average of 12.6%. That amounts to almost 270,000 people.
A large percentage of children in San Antonio are living in poverty, one in four under age 18.
Among 18- to 64-year-olds, 15.3% are living in poverty, and the poverty percentage among 65 and over is 13.6%.
Below are the percentages of residents living in poverty in each of the ten most populated U.S. cities.
- New York 18.3%
- Los Angeles 16.8%
- Chicago 17.2%
- Houston 20%
- Phoenix 13.9%
- Philadelphia 21.7%
- San Antonio 18.7%
- San Diego 11.3%
- Dallas 17.8%
- Austin 11%
District 5 San Antonio City Councilwoman Teri Castillo represents the city's poorest zip code, 78207, located on the West Side. She said turning poverty around requires a three-pronged approach.
"I firmly believe that by investing in affordable housing, connecting people to union jobs, connecting folks to educational opportunitiesis a way for us to uplift all community members," she said.
Castillo said the statewide minimum wage of $7 an hour makes it impossible to afford living space with two bedrooms. She said a person needs to earn well over $20 an hour to be able to afford it.
The median gross rent in San Antonio is now $1,234 a month.
Median household income in San Antonio is $58, 829, while the statewide median is $72,284.
