Report Finds 44% of Bexar Residents Can't Afford Basics
A San Antonio Department of Human Services report puts the share of Bexar County residents unable to cover basic necessities at 44%.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Employment
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A San Antonio Department of Human Services report found that 44% of Bexar County residents cannot afford basic necessities. The analysis placed Bexar County's poverty rate at 15% and San Antonio's at 17%, while 29% of residents earn above the poverty line yet still cannot meet basic costs.
Why it matters
The findings show a substantial affordability gap that extends beyond official poverty measures, affecting households that are not counted as poor under federal benchmarks. Households seeing only slow salary growth face added strain as living costs rise.
The analysis combines the Census poverty measure with the ALICE threshold, which sets $37,437 as the annual income needed for two adults raising three children. Of employed adults, 24% fell below the poverty cutoff, and poverty rates exceeded 20% in areas within Loop 410 and across San Antonio's southern areas.
The players
San Antonio Department of Human Services
The city agency that produced the report examining poverty and affordability among Bexar County residents.
United Way
The nonprofit organization that developed the ALICE measure used to identify residents who earn above the poverty line but cannot meet basic costs.
The details
Poverty fell disproportionately on women, residents with disabilities, and Black or American Indian residents, while the poverty rate among children fell slightly and poverty increased among people 65 and older. The report used United Way's ALICE measure to identify residents who earn above the poverty line but cannot meet basic costs.
Timeline
The federal poverty benchmark of $16,320 for an individual under 65 applied in 2024.
The article reporting the 44% figure was published on November 2, 2026.
Economic Context
The San Antonio report extends the ALICE framework developed by United Way to Bexar County, pairing it with the Census Bureau's poverty measure to show a gap that official poverty counts alone would miss. Its 44% figure captures households across a wider income band than the 15% county poverty rate.
Households earning above the poverty line can still fall short of basic costs, with the ALICE threshold for a family of two adults and three children set at $37,437 in annual income. Residents in areas within Loop 410 and across San Antonio's southern areas face poverty rates above 20%.
The takeaway
Measures that count only official poverty can understate how many households struggle to pay for basics, so the ALICE threshold offers a fuller picture of local affordability.
Further reading
Explore more on Employment coverage for San Antonio.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Cool Down.
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