{"id":665267,"date":"2026-03-18T20:59:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T20:59:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/665267\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T20:59:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T20:59:20","slug":"study-san-antonio-is-texas-worst-positioned-large-metro-for-future-prosperity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/665267\/","title":{"rendered":"Study: San Antonio is Texas’ worst-positioned large metro for future prosperity"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AnAn aerial shot displays San Antonio\u2019s skyline. Credit: Wikimedia Commons \/ FilmRAW<\/p>\n

San Antonio is the large Texas metro least prepared to thrive in the decades ahead, according to the Geography of Prosperity Index<\/a>, a new study unveiled at Austin\u2019s SXSW festival that measures how U.S. population centers are poised to adapt to the future.<\/p>\n

The study authors \u2014 demographic futurist Bradley Schurman and data consultant Jaymes Cloninger \u2014\u00a0ranked the nation\u2019s 250 most-populous urban metro areas using five key metrics on a scale of zero to 100: Automation Readiness, Climate Resilience, Governance & Foresight, Population Renewal and Social Cohesion. <\/p>\n

Of the total, San Antonio came in at No. 151, largely due to its dismal scores in Governance & Foresight and Social Cohesion.<\/p>\n

In contrast, the future-ready cities that landed near the top of the index \u2014 No. 2 Durham, No. 3 Ann Arbor and No.4 Boston, for example \u2014\u00a0invest heavily in education, have easy access to clean drinking water and are more cohesive, in that they\u2019re not as economically or racially segregated.<\/p>\n

Social Cohesion measures trust in public institutions, civic participation, inclusion and social stability. On this front, San Antonio remains one of the nation\u2019s most economically segregated cities<\/a>, dimming its ability to move forward in a cohesive manner. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Governance & Foresight assesses the quality, competence and long-term orientation of local leadership and institutions, including planning capacity, fiscal health, coordination and ability to anticipate future challenges. <\/p>\n

With regard to that category, San Anton has a meager tax base and a city government focused on short-term political wins \u2014 think international flights<\/a> and sports stadiums<\/a> \u2014\u00a0 rather than long-term investment in human capital. Cities that scored high in the Government & Foresight metric, including No. 8 Raleigh, are willing to make bold investments may not pay off for decades, Schurman explained during a panel at SXSW over the weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cSixty years ago, when the furniture industry basically collapsed on itself, [Raleigh] started investing in technology,\u201d Schurman said. \u201cSo, this is a 60-year bet that is now paying-off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Compare that to San Antonio, which instead has prioritized projects including SeaWorld, the Alamodome and the since-razed Fiesta Plaza Mall, mockingly known as the Pink Elephant. Meanwhile, the city has lured low-skill manufacturing and call-center investments, both susceptible to job losses from Artificial Intelligence.<\/p>\n

While the Alamo City scored particularly poorly in Social Cohesion and Governance & Foresight, it showed deficiencies across the board, according to the study. Indeed, our metro ranks below average across all five categories, suggesting structural flaws rather than a few bad data points.<\/p>\n

Climate and other crises <\/strong><\/p>\n

It will take \u201csustained investment in infrastructure, climate adaptation and governance reform,\u201d to get San Antonio up to par with the state\u2019s other large metros, the study authors wrote.<\/p>\n

The report\u2019s Population Renewal category, based on U.S. Census data, examines whether a region can sustain its population and workforce over time, while Climate Resilience assesses a city\u2019s exposure to climate change by measuring its extreme heat, flooding, drought, fires and severe storms such as hurricanes.<\/p>\n

\u201cProsperous places aren\u2019t those untouched by extreme weather \u2014 they\u2019re ones investing early, reducing risk, and building systems that can withstand repeated shocks,\u201d according to the study.<\/p>\n

Over the summer, San Antonio experienced its worst flooding in decades, which claimed the lives of 15 people. However, much-needed mitigation projects<\/a> aren\u2019t in the short-term works, and the city\u2019s next infrastructure bond is expected to be smaller than the previous one due to lower-than-expected revenue.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Automation Readiness assesses how prepared a region\u2019s workforce and industries are for the widespread adoption of AI. For that category, researchers examined each metro\u2019s occupational exposure, education and skills pipelines, innovation capacity and economic adaptability.<\/p>\n

San Antonio\u2019s workforce is primarily composed of low-wage, blue-collar workers, the study notes. That \u2014\u00a0combined with a lackluster pipeline of college graduates and continued struggles to attract innovative, high-paying employers\u00a0\u2014 means San Antonio\u2019s economic outlook is dim as AI retools a variety of industries.<\/p>\n

Cities such as Austin, the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston and Pittsburgh, which have evolved as tech centers, placed highest in this category. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re all doing well within this space right now, but those places unintentionally became giant sucking tools for all the talent,\u201d Schurman said . \u201cIn other parts of the country, they don\u2019t have the same talent level, the same investment level, the same educational systems in place to support this transition.\u201d\u200b<\/p>\n

Even so, not all hope is lost for San Antonio or any other city low on the list, the futurist said. <\/p>\n

\u201cEvery city can improve, every city has the power to get better,\u201d Schurman said. \u201cAnd in fact, if cities make minor tweaks, they can really see outsized results at the end of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n

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