Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Selma grades C− overall, 411th among Texas's 640 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 82% of the country and the median household earns $97K. On the other side, homes are expensive, about $281K for a typical one and 3.7 times the San Antonio metro’s $76K median household income. Selma’s trail density is 1.5 miles per square mile, above both the Texas town median (0.3) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Only 62 of Texas’ 1,000 towns score lower on hazard risk. Selma's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 90% of U.S. towns.
Where Selma beats most towns.
5,540 counted in 2010 and 10,952 in 2020; an estimated 11,955 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 9.1% since 2020, after 97.7% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Selma is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 207 in 1970, 10,952 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2014 and 4 maps from 1953 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Selma. Close and well known come first.
Big draw15 mi Stadium & arenaAlamodome
15 mi LandmarkAlamo Mission
13 mi Stadium & arenaFrost Bank Center
33 mi CaveJacob's Well (Texas)
18 mi Theme parkSix Flags Fiesta Texas
15 mi LookoutTower of the AmericasAlamodome: Billy Hathorn, CC BY 3.0 · Alamo Mission: Zygmunt Put Zetpe0202, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Frost Bank Center: Atristan 77, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jacob's Well (Texas): Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 · Six Flags Fiesta Texas: Chris Hagerman, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Tower of the Americas: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Selma, 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 Selma.
Selma draws workers from San Antonio and beyond and has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Texas (mostly inland flooding).
For Selma, that is close to Texas’ towns (1.9%) and below U.S. towns (4.3%). 7.4 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Kensington Ranch Park, at 24 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Stage Stop Park | 0.8 mi | 17 |
| 2. John S. Harrison Park | 0.5 mi | 12 |
| 3. Kensington Ranch Park | 0.2 mi | 24 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our Lady of Perpetual Help School PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 326 | – |
| River City Believers Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 207 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
7,544 jobs are based in Selma, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 3,950 in 2013 to 7,544.
Most working residents leave Selma for work: only 2% work in town. The average trip to work in Selma is 30 minutes. Jobs based in Selma grew to 7,544 in 2023, 3,594 more than in 2013.
| Selma | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $97,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.2% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.2% | 8.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its A− for health tops all 4 graded neighbors; Schertz (B+) comes closest. Its widest gap with Texas is tooth loss: 7.5% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 12.5% statewide.
11% of adults report frequent physical distress in Selma. Selma beats the Texas average on 21 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 19% of adults binge drink in Selma.
| Selma | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 35% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 74% | 79% |
| What stands out | Selma | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.5% | 12.5% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 3.8% | 5.7% |
| More binge drinkers | 19.2% | 17% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 96% of Texas towns, with expected losses of about $729 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Selma’s FEMA risk score is 81 of 100. Since 1998, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Selma.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes fell from 329 to 264 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The San Antonio Intl Ap weather station, 11 miles away, records that about 122 days a year reach 90°, more than in 99% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 95.1°, hotter than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 40.4°.
Selma has warm winters and hot summers. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Selma | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 40°F | 37°F | 22°F |
| July high | 95°F | 95°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 9% of residents (13% statewide). Selma has grown 9.1% since 2020, to 11,955 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 37% of Selma adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Selma | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 9.2% | 14% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 28% | 26% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 23% | 29% |
| Median age | 34.9 years | 35.9 years | 40.5 years |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3 points. Across Texas, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Selma | TX | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 19% | 13.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.5% | 11.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.7% | 9.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15% | 14.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 18% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.1% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.4% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.9% | 8.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 2.3% | 5.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.8% | 14% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.4% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.5% | 20.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.7% | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.9% | 21.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.7% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical value, about $281K, is 13% below its August 2022 peak.
The typical Selma home is worth about $281,000, down 2.9% in a year, 5% below the Texas typical home.
| Selma | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,774 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 64% | 69% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
6 within 15 miles of the center of Selma
About 6 of every 100 Selma residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
Where Selma’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Bexar, Comal, and Guadalupe counties in Texas, United States
Selma is a city in Bexar, Comal, and Guadalupe counties in Texas, United States. It is part of the San Antonio metropolitan area. Its population was 10,952 at the 2020 census, up from 5,540 at the 2010 census. Selma was settled by German and Polish immigrants in the mid-1800s. The Retama Park horse-racing track is located in Selma.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Selma.
| Town | TX rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selma | #411 | C− | D | C | C | A− |
| Universal City | #463 | D | C− | C− | C | B |
| Schertz | #159 | B− | D | B | A− | B+ |
| Live Oak | #339 | C | C− | D | C+ | B+ |
| San Antonio | #526 | D | C− | D− | B− | C |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Selma grades C− overall, better than 17% of U.S. towns and #411 of 640 in Texas. It grades A− for health, C for safety and C for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
