Although goods and services cost less in San Antonio, people here earn a lower average wage. Credit: Courtesy of sanantonio.uli.org

San Antonio’s official website describes the city as a “diverse, progressive and globally competitive,” adding that it boasts a “solid vision for national and international development.”

Although one could argue the Alamo City is progressive and diverse, a recent study ranking the 100 best cities in the world didn’t find San Antonio globally competitive — even though three other Texas metros made the grade.

That analysis by tourism and real estate consultancy Resonance looked at cities that anchor a metropolitan area of at least 1 million people, ranking them on statistical performance and qualitative evaluations by locals and visitors. Researchers looked at indicators including airport connectivity, educational attainment, university rankings and even the number of Google searches about the city.

Perhaps surprisingly, Houston — which lacks the glitz of Austin and Dallas — was Texas’ highest-ranked city. It claimed the slot as the world’s No. 42 city.

“Austin may get the attention, but the promise of the Lone Star State drawing Californians and New Yorkers is quietly being fulfilled by Houston,” Resonance wrote in its report.

The 300,000 people who have moved to the Bayou City since the COVID-19 pandemic are “more educated and more international” than before, making Houston an “educated, diverse and hardworking stealthy powerhouse on the rise,” according to the study.

Houston narrowly beat out Austin, which came in at No. 43. Dallas landed at No. 47.

Overall, it was strong showing for the Texas trio, all of which ranked higher than economic behemoth Frankfurt (No. 49), tourism powerhouse Rio de Janeiro (No. 54) and culturally significant Jerusalem (No. 84).

A quarter of the cities in the top 100 are located in the U.S., begging the question: What’s wrong with San Antonio? Although Resonance didn’t explain why the Alamo City didn’t make its top 100, a closer look at the categories used to create the rankings offers clues.

Violent crime, airport connectivity, university rankings, educational attainment and income inequality — metrics with which San Antonio continues to struggle — were heavily weighted in Resonance’s rankings.

In other words, San Antonio may need to make significant dents in old and lingering problems for it to be the “globally competitive city” civic leaders envision it as.

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This article appears in Sep 6-19, 2023.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...