Best Places78253, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 78253, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
78253 ranks 2,062nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low crime by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 78253
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.
78253's strengths and weaknesses
Where 78253 ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 91% of zip codes
Where 78253 ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Short commute31.3 minutes each way, better than only 23% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 78253
A household needs to earn about $104,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 78253 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $109,165, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 78253's effective rate of 1.41%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 78253
78253 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 78253.
Who works in 78253, and how
Work in 78253 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 76%
- Work from home 21%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 78253
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 78253.
What the weather is like in 78253, month by month
78253 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 78253
San Antonio International sits about 18 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 78253
Schools across 78253 average a B−, better than 58% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Potranco ElB · 49% proficient
- Mireles ElB− · 42% proficient
- Cole ElB− · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- Medina Valley Loma Alta MiddleA− · 56% proficient
- Medina Valley MiddleB+ · 51% proficient
- Briscoe MiddleB+ · 50% proficient
Top high schools
- Medina Valley H SB+ · 53% proficient
- Brennan H SB · 50% proficient
- Taft H SB · 49% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 78253 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
78253 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 78253 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 78253 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 93% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 21% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 78253
Is 78253 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 78253 ranks 2,062nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low crime, a strong job market, and what local pay buys, and lowest on air quality and property taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 78253 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $367,292. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $109,165 median income, cost of living beats 93% of zip codes.
Is 78253 safe?
Yes, 78253 is safer than 98% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $164 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 78253?
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.
Is 78253 good for families?
Schools beat 58% of zip codes, crime safety beats 98%, and childcare runs $783 a month.
Compare 78253 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 78253. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 78253 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.
78253 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 78253: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 78253: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 78253: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 78253: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
78253 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.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- 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.