San Antonio has emerged as one of the fastest-growing cities in America, but how is that explosion in population growth having an impact on our most pressing public health challenges?
Sombrilla Magazine sat down with Lloyd Potter, Texas State Demographer and professor of demography, and Nancy Cheak-Zamora, chair of the Department of Public Health and professor of public health, for a conversation about the intersection of public health and demography as well as how it’s all playing out in the Alamo City.
The most recent U.S. Census Bureau data showed that San Antonio was leading all U.S. cities in population growth. We had 22,000 new residents in 2023. Why are we growing?
Potter: San Antonio historically has been growing pretty steadily for a long time, but it’s been relatively slow. What we’re seeing in the last five to eight years is that the growth in San Antonio has really picked up, and in the last three or four years, we’ve seen that San Antonio is leading the nation in terms of population growth.
There are a number of things that have led to the increase in the pace of growth that we’ve been experiencing. We have growth industries here. Healthcare is certainly a big component of our economy in San Antonio. In addition to civilian healthcare, we have Brooke Army Medical Center and research and treatments that are cutting-edge compared to what’s available nationally or internationally. Of course, UTSA has really accelerated economic development within greater San Antonio — especially in regards to cybersecurity. The university brought CyManII to the city and the NSA now has a major complex at the National Security Collaboration Center. All of those things are attracting a skilled labor force to the city.
But then there’s what we refer to as the multiplier effect. So, you kind of have these core jobs, and then those people that are moving here need a house. That’s going to facilitate the construction industry. They’re going to be buying stuff, whether it’s cars or groceries. That will create other jobs that may be lower-skilled or lower-paid, but still attract individuals to come to San Antonio to find employment.
Read the full conversation with Potter and Cheak-Zamora at Sombrilla Magazine Online.
