I. M. Cowan House
Somerset’s story
106 years in pictures
The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2004.
- 1920Somerset is settled
Population
1,872
2025 Census estimate · +6.1% since 2020
Typical home
$241K
+3.2% in a year
Household income
$78K
median
Median age
39.9
years
Jobs based here
817
Balanced
Is Somerset a good place to live?
The best of Somerset’s subject grades is an A− for safety; the weakest is a C− for health. Somerset’s July high is 96°F, near the Texas town median (95°F) and above the median of U.S. towns (85°F). Only 10 of the 489 Texas towns we compare have a lower property crime rate than Somerset. Somerset's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 90% of U.S. towns. Somerset has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Somerset stand out
Where Somerset beats most towns.
How Somerset grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Somerset is from typical.
HealthChristus Santa Rosa Medical Center 16.1 miles awayC−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 23% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA−Open →SafetyA−Open →Cost of livingC+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.5 of 20; 2.5% of households have no car; 2.1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →Jobs & income$78K median household incomeB−Open →SchoolsB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trailsC−Open →HistoryDOpen →Civic life2.7 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 97° summer afternoons–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 39.9; 16% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 38 attractions →Alamodome and 35 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Somerset. Close and well known come first.
Big draw17 mi Stadium & arenaAlamodome
17 mi LandmarkAlamo Mission
19 mi Stadium & arenaFrost Bank Center
17 mi LookoutTower of the Americas
16 mi Theme parkSeaWorld San Antonio
26 mi Theme parkSix Flags Fiesta TexasSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Alamodome: 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 · Tower of the Americas: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 · SeaWorld San Antonio: TheConduqtor, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Six Flags Fiesta Texas: Chris Hagerman, CC BY-SA 3.0
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Somerset: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Somerset, and how to reach them.
PowerPedernales Electric Coop12.8¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSan Antonio Water SystemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpMondayTown’s haulerTown site
Register to voteIn personTexas has no online registration; you can register in person until 30 days before Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereBexar County Early Voting ClerkBexar County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes78069, 7807378069 99% · 78073 1%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Somerset.
HealthC−
On CDC estimates, Somerset is less healthy than 80% of U.S. towns
Somerset beats the Texas average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 32% of Somerset adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance, above both Texas’ towns (18%) and U.S. towns (8.1%). 38% of Somerset adults get no exercise outside work.
20%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Somerset | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 30% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 24% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 12% |
31 measures vs. Texas
1 better20 too close to call10 worse
| What stands out | Somerset | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.4% | 6.1% |
| More uninsured adults | 31.9% | 19.1% |
Christus Santa Rosa Medical Center
16.1 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsB−
Public schools in Somerset beat 50% of Texas districts
Its public schools are run by Somerset ISD. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Somerset H S, with 1,175 students.
50%of TX districts it outscoresB−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Somerset ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades 1–4 | Grades 1–4 | 716 | A− |
| Somerset H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,175 | D |
| Shirleen Zacharias Early Clge Leadership AcademyTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 128 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
SafetyA−
Somerset reports less crime per resident than 75% of U.S. towns
Somerset’s violent crime rate is 1.1 per 1,000 residents.
75%of U.S. towns report more crimeA−Safety Grade
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Somerset1.1
Texas3.5
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Somerset1.6
Texas18.1
U.S.15.5
75th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
2
violent crimes reported in 2025
3
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
Low risk in Somerset, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 77% of U.S. communities.
23risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesHail
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
In Somerset, expect mild winters and hot summers
Somerset has warm winters and hot summers. The January low in Somerset is 41°F.
97°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter43–67°
Spring59–82°
Summer73–96°
Fall59–83°
Dec 1
typical first frost
Feb 22
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
97°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade C+
A typical Somerset home is worth about $241K
The typical Somerset home is worth about $241,000, up 3.2% in a year, 19% below the Texas typical home.
$241KZillow home value
| Somerset | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 69% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,189 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Somerset$241K
Texas$296K
+3.2%
value change, 1 year
2
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
More than half of Somerset’s working residents commute to San Antonio
Most working residents leave Somerset for work: only 4% work in town. 17% of residents live below the poverty line in Somerset. Since 2013, Somerset has added 83 jobs, to 817 in 2023.
4%work in town
| Somerset | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.5% | 8.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Somerset4%
San Antonio56%
Austin5%
Houston4%
New Braunfels1%
20 mi
median commute distance
817
jobs based in Somerset
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 56% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,284 acres
0.1 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Vernon G Schimel Memorial Park | — | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Somerset
19pages on Somerset
The big questions
SchoolsB−Beat 50% of TX districts · 4 schoolsSafetyA−1.1 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthC−Better than TX on 1 of 31 CDC measuresCost of livingC+$241K typical home · up 3.2% in a yearWork & commuteB−$78K median household income · 817 jobs hereNatural hazardsA−FEMA risk higher than 23% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Somerset
Palo Alto CollegeCommunity college · Public · San Antonio9.4 mi$3,412 in-state tuitionTexas A&M University-San AntonioUniversity or college · Public · San Antonio9.6 mi$9,654 in-state tuitionBaptist University of the AmericasUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · San Antonio10.5 mi$9,180 tuition
About 3 of every 100 Somerset residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
Questions about Somerset
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Somerset, TX expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.