Despite ‘Military City USA’ rep, San Antonio not among the best places for veterans to live, study says

San Antonio might be known as Military City USA, but a recent study suggests it may not be as great a place for veterans as many expect. Indeed, it didn’t even make top quarter of the 100 most-populous U.S. cities.

Financial site WalletHub’s 2022 Best Cities for Veterans rankings put San Antonio at No. 29 when it comes to providing an idea living place for vets. Meanwhile, Austin — better known for tech bros and hipsters than military bases — took the No. 2 spot.

WalletHub ranked cities using 20 key metrics, including the employment prospects for military veterans, the local economy’s health, the city’s quality of life and the availability and quality of healthcare facilities.

Although San Antonio scored relatively well on economic health (No. 11), it ranked in the bottom half (No. 62) in the veteran job prospects. That later category included each city’s share of military skill-related jobs, its veteran unemployment rate, its job growth and its veteran-owned businesses per veteran population.

The Alamo City landed at No. 37 for quality of life and at No. 43 for healthcare, putting it slightly above average in those categories.

Several other Texas cities also beat out Military City USA on the list. Laredo, Plano and Fort Worth grabbed the No. 3, No. 18 and No. 22 spots, respectively. Raleigh, N.C., took the top spot.

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This article appears in Oct 19 – Nov 1, 2022.