A fresh dive into Census data from the National Association of Realtors shows who is actually ending up with house keys in the San Antonio area, and it is not the city’s service workers. Management and business professionals are still the most likely to own homes, but health care employees have posted the biggest jump in ownership over the last decade. Those shifts highlight a growing affordability squeeze that is quietly reshaping who can afford to buy in the city.
How San Antonio Workers Stacked Up
Management and business workers posted the highest homeownership rate in 2024 at about 73%, down a bit from roughly 75% in 2014, according to Axios. Health care workers logged the biggest gains, climbing from around 56% in 2014 to about 68% in 2024. STEM and technical occupations went the other direction, slipping from roughly 69% to 61% during the same span. Service-sector workers in San Antonio also lost ground, sliding to about 48% from 51%, a reversal that points to local market forces rather than a straightforward national pattern.
Local Market Snapshot
Local multiple-listing data put the median home price near $306,000, according to the San Antonio Board of REALTORS. That price tag still keeps San Antonio more affordable than many other Sun Belt metros. Nationally, the homeownership rate hovered around 65% in 2024, per the U.S. Census Bureau. Put together, that specific local price point and the region’s job mix help explain why some occupations cluster in homeownership while others are left renting.
Why the Shifts Matter
Rising prices across the country have pushed the median single-family sale to roughly five times the median household income, a level the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies has warned is undermining affordability. When home values and borrowing costs outpace wage growth, even relatively well paid workers can get shut out unless their jobs are located in markets where housing is still within reach. In San Antonio, that dynamic appears to have helped more health care and certain management employees cross into homeownership, while many service and transportation workers remain on the sidelines.
What Economists Say
"It’s not just about jobs. It’s really about where those jobs are located, and how affordable housing is in those markets," NAR principal economist Nadia Evangelou told Axios. She added, "There are not enough homes at the price point people can afford to buy, and that’s pushing even strong earners out of homeownership." Her comments tie San Antonio’s occupational patterns to a broader shortage of affordable homes rather than to simple differences in paychecks.
What to Watch
Inventory has inched up toward roughly a five-month supply, which could take some heat out of the market if builders respond with more entry-level homes, according to the San Antonio Board of REALTORS. If policymakers and developers focus on the price points buyers can actually afford instead of just celebrating big permit totals, the homeownership gap between occupations could narrow. For now, where the jobs are and what kinds of homes are available remain the clearest drivers of who gets to buy in San Antonio.
