Freshly updated federal numbers show United Services Automobile Association (USAA) sitting at the top of San Antonio’s H‑1B heap, with 616 approvals from January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2025. The city ranking, built from that data, highlights how financial services, research institutions, and major retailers have set the pace in high‑skilled hiring in recent years, with the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, H‑E‑B, UTSA, and Rackspace also landing among the city’s heaviest users of the program.
What the ranking shows
The Dallas Express assembled a top‑25 list for San Antonio using the refreshed federal figures and put USAA at number one with 616 approvals in the six‑year window. The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio followed with 403 approvals, H‑E‑B logged 216, UTSA 201, and Rackspace 200, according to The Dallas Express. The ranking includes only petitioners who listed San Antonio as their city, leaving out employers based in nearby suburbs.
Data sources and national context
The figures are drawn from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services H‑1B Employer Data Hub, which offers searchable employer‑level files and downloadable datasets for researchers, according to USCIS. Nationally, the program remains highly concentrated by country of birth. Pew Research Center has found that roughly three‑quarters of recent H‑1B approvals went to people born in India, with about 12 percent going to those born in China, a pattern that helps explain why tech and IT occupations dominate the overall numbers.
Abbott freeze complicates hiring
The data refresh arrived just as Gov. Greg Abbott directed state agencies and public universities on Jan. 27, 2026 to halt new H‑1B petitions, a pause that is scheduled to run through May 31, 2027 unless specific exceptions are granted, and to report on how they use the program, according to The Associated Press. The move immediately raises concerns for public hospitals and academic research labs that lean on H‑1B talent for specialized clinical and scientific roles.
Local implications for hospitals, universities and insurers
Recent San Antonio reporting shows employers in the area had a strikingly high approval rate in 2024, with roughly 552 of 560 petitions winning approval, a sign that many local organizations already depend heavily on renewals and extensions to keep key staff in place, according to San Antonio Standard. A statewide pause, or tougher conditions around new filings, could snarl hiring timelines at institutions such as UT Health San Antonio and prompt private‑sector employers to rethink how and where they recruit.
Employer response and what’s next
The Dallas Express reported that it contacted USAA for comment but did not hear back before publication, leaving unanswered questions about how the insurer deploys H‑1B employees across its San Antonio operations, according to The Dallas Express. Key developments to watch now include any H‑1B disclosures that state agencies submit to the Texas Workforce Commission and whether future USCIS data updates shuffle the employer rankings.
Hoodline will continue tracking USCIS data releases, state reporting and any public statements from major local employers as the pause and new reporting requirements ripple through San Antonio’s hospitals, universities and corporate offices.
