Best Places78243, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 78243, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
78243 ranks 23,858th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and thin health care access ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 78243
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
78243's strengths and weaknesses
Where 78243 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 98% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 91% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 91% of zip codes
Where 78243 ranks low
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 6% of zip codes
Who lives in 78243
78243 runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 78243.
Who works in 78243, and how
Work in 78243 centers on health care & social and construction. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 54%
- Work from home 39%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in 78243
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 78243.
What the weather is like in 78243, month by month
78243 sees roughly 141 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 97 degrees. January highs sit near 66, with lows near 42. The comfortable stretch runs February through April and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 66° | 53° | 42° |
| April | 83° | 71° | 61° |
| July | 97° | 85° | 75° |
| October | 85° | 72° | 62° |
Flying in and out of 78243
San Antonio International sits about 14 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 5.3 million passengers in 2025, with 87 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 78243
Schools across 78243 average a D, better than 7% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Frank Madla ElD− · 12% proficient
- Five Palms ElF · 9% proficient
Top middle schools
- Alan B Shepard MiddleD− · 13% proficient
Top high schools
- Virginia Allred Stacey Jr/sr H SB · 49% proficient
- South San Antonio H SC · 35% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 78243 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
78243 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 78243 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 78243
Is 78243 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 78243 ranks 23,858th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, cell coverage, and transit, and lowest on thin health care access and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 78243 safe?
78243 is safer than 28% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $454 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 78243?
July highs average about 97 degrees, and January highs near 66 with lows near 42. That works out to about 141 pleasant days a year, more than 86% of zip codes.
Compare 78243 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 78243. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 78243 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
78243 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 78243: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 78243: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 78243: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 78243: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
78243 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.