Best PlacesNorth Central, San Antonio, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around North Central, San Antonio, 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.
North Central, San Antonio ranks 4,311th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in North Central, San Antonio
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.
North Central, San Antonio's strengths and weaknesses
Where North Central, San Antonio ranks high
- Cheap childcare$783 a month, better than 90% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 85% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than 83% of neighborhoods
Where North Central, San Antonio ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 11% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in North Central, San Antonio
A household needs to earn about $73,000 a year to comfortably buy the median North Central, San Antonio home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $56,630, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 North Central, San Antonio's effective rate of 1.53%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in North Central, San Antonio
North Central, San Antonio runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for North Central, San Antonio.
Who works in North Central, San Antonio, and how
Work in North Central, San Antonio centers on retail trade and hospitality & food. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 78%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in North Central, San Antonio
North Central, San Antonio has more restaurants and bars per resident than 77% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of North Central, San Antonio and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in North Central, San Antonio, month by month
North Central, San Antonio sees roughly 153 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 98 degrees. January highs sit near 67, with lows near 40. The comfortable stretch runs February through April and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 67° | 53° | 40° |
| April | 84° | 70° | 58° |
| July | 98° | 85° | 76° |
| October | 86° | 72° | 61° |
Flying in and out of North Central, San Antonio
San Antonio International sits about 4 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 North Central, San Antonio
Schools across North Central, San Antonio average a C, better than 36% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Castle Hills ElB+ · 54% proficient
- Olmos ElB · 44% proficient
- Jackson-keller ElC− · 29% proficient
Top middle schools
- Nimitz MiddleD+ · 27% proficient
- Jackson MiddleD+ · 26% proficient
- Whittier MiddleD− · 14% proficient
Top high schools
- International School Of AmericaA− · 67% proficient
- Legacy Of Educational Excellence H SC+ · 39% proficient
- Jefferson H SC− · 30% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every North Central, San Antonio school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
North Central, San Antonio 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 North Central, San Antonio against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in North Central, San Antonio
Is North Central, San Antonio a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, North Central, San Antonio ranks 4,311th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on affordable childcare, state finances, and low taxes, and lowest on summer heat and biking. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is North Central, San Antonio expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $254,895. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $56,630 median income, cost of living beats 32% of neighborhoods.
Is North Central, San Antonio safe?
North Central, San Antonio is safer than 51% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $538 per resident a year.
Compare North Central, San Antonio with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to North Central, San Antonio. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in North Central, San Antonio 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.
North Central, San Antonio detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for North Central, San Antonio: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in North Central, San Antonio: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of North Central, San Antonio: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in North Central, San Antonio: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
North Central, San Antonio 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.