ZIP 78256 vs ZIP 78249

This side-by-side compares ZIP 78256 (San Antonio, TX) and ZIP 78249 (San Antonio, TX) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 78256 has a population of 6,855 at 305 people per square mile, while ZIP 78249 has 49,951 at 1,296 per square mile. That difference in population size and density alone reshapes how every other metric should be interpreted — a higher-income ZIP with 1,200 residents behaves very differently from one with 45,000.

On income and education, ZIP 78256 reports a median household income of $74,977 against $80,565 in ZIP 78249, with per-capita income of $62,937 vs $37,981. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 55.9% in 78256 and 52.0% in 78249. Poverty rate reads 19.1% vs 16.0%, and unemployment 3.4% vs 5.8% — these four fields alone drive most of the difference in the scorecard grades you will see for each ZIP.

Housing separates these two ZIPs further: median home value sits at $579,300 in 78256 versus $305,400 in 78249, with median rent of $1,600 and $1,527 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 29.5% vs 51.0%. When reading the comparison table below, focus on paired metrics rather than single winners — a ZIP with lower home values and lower income is not strictly "worse" if rent-to-income ratios and commute times land in the same zone. Every value is pulled from the exact same ACS table so the two columns are genuinely comparable.