Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
San Marcos grades C− overall, ranked 424th of 640 in Texas, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It has 37 miles of trail and it is more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns. On the other side, its schools rank behind 88% of the state's. 27% of residents live below the poverty line in San Marcos, above both Texas’ towns (12%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Its National Register listings include Hays County Courthouse and First United Methodist Church. Among 642 Texas towns, just 6 have a lower share of households owning their home than San Marcos.
Where San Marcos beats most towns.
Its founding year, 1808, comes before those of 99% of the Texas towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 741 in 1870, 67,553 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1881 and 3 maps from 1964 on.
40 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far San Marcos is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in San Marcos, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in San Marcos.
San Marcos is shaped by its college students, has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
31.4% of residents are enrolled in college, against 6.2% statewide, which pulls the median age down. Only 30.8% of households own their home, against 62.6% across Texas.
13% of San Marcos residents are under 18. San Marcos has grown 15% since 2020, to 77,830 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. The median age in San Marcos is 25.5 years.
| San Marcos | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 13% | 26% | 22% |
| Median age | 25.5 years | 35.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 11% | 14% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 23% | 29% |
54% women, 46% men
About 86 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.3 points). Across Texas, 50.1% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 60% are women (TX 49%). Median age: women 24.9, men 26.1.
| San Marcos | TX | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.8% | 13.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.5% | 11.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 35.2% | 9.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17.2% | 14.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.8% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 6.2% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 6.6% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.1% | 8.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.6% | 5.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.5% | 14% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.4% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.3% | 20.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.5% | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.7% | 21.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.6% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Its public schools are run by San Marcos CISD. Two of its 18 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miller MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 896 | C |
| San Marcos H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,371 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
San Marcos’ trail density is 0.9 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Purgatory Creek Greenspace, 474 acres with 8.7 miles of trail.
| San Marcos | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 11% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Purgatory Creek Greenspace | 8.7 mi | 474 |
| 2. Spring Lake Preserve | 6.4 mi | 247 |
| 3. Ringtail Ridge Natural Area | 2 mi | 40 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes fell from 1,951 to 1,777 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The San Marcos weather station records that about 117 days a year reach 90°, more than in 98% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 95.6°, hotter than in 97% of U.S. towns; January nights average 39.6°.
San Marcos has mild winters and hot summers. Snow is almost unheard of.
| San Marcos | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 96°F | 95°F | 85°F |
| January low | 40°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 6,228 U.S. towns with household incomes like San Marcos’s, it is healthier than 94%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
23% of adults have high blood pressure in San Marcos. San Marcos beats the Texas average on 8 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 7.9% of adults have diabetes in San Marcos.
| San Marcos | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 35% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 68% | 74% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 17% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.9% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | San Marcos | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 3.6% | 6.1% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 7.9% | 12.7% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 15.3% | 10.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here grew from 29,536 in 2013 to 38,485.
About one in 4 of San Marcos’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in San Marcos grew to 38,485 in 2023, 8,949 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Austin (24%), San Antonio (5%) and New Braunfels (4%).
| San Marcos | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 26% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
678 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 119 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 62% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 678 flood insurance claims have been paid out in San Marcos.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical value, about $305K, is 21% below its July 2022 peak. At about $305K, home values are down 7% in five years, against a rise of 10% across Texas.
The typical San Marcos home is worth about $305,000, down 3.1% in a year, close to the Texas typical home.
| San Marcos | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 67% | 50% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,322 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around San Marcos. Close and well known come first.
16 mi CaveJacob's Well (Texas)
Big draw31 mi Stadium & arenaDarrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium
31 mi Stadium & arenaMoody Center
25 mi Park & preserveCOTALAND
29 mi LakeLady Bird Lake
40 mi National Historical ParkLyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park38K visitors a yearJacob's Well (Texas): Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 · Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium: Brint03, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Moody Center: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 · COTALAND: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 · Lady Bird Lake: Arvindn on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park: National Park Service, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of San Marcos
College town 31 of every 100 San Marcos residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
44,894 counted in 2010 and 67,553 in 2020; an estimated 77,830 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 14.9% since 2020, after 50.5% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
40 places in San Marcos on the National Register of Historic Places.
15 notable people were born in San Marcos.
City in Texas, United States
San Marcos () is a city in and the county seat of Hays County, Texas, United States. The city is mostly a part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area. San Marcos's limits extend into Caldwell and Guadalupe Counties, as well. The latter is part of the Greater San Antonio Metropolitan Area. San Marcos is on the Interstate 35 corridor between Austin and San Antonio. Its population was 44,894 at the 2010 census and 67,553 at the 2020 census. Founded on the banks of the San Marcos River, the area is thought to be among the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the Americas. San Marcos is home to Texas State University and the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment. In 2010, San Marcos wa…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with San Marcos.
| Town | TX rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Marcos | #424 | C− | B− | C− | D | B |
| Kyle | #258 | C+ | D | B | B− | B+ |
| Redwood | #268 | C+ | A | — | D | C |
Redwood reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare San Marcos with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
San Marcos grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #424 of 640 in Texas. It grades B for health, C− for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3 years of the area's median household income ($100,431 across the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
15 notable people were born here, including Lucious Jackson and Taurean Prince.
