'The Great San Antonio Shuffle': New Data from 3 Men Movers Shows Residents Aren’t Leaving, They’re Re-sorting the City

New analysis of local moving activity shows San Antonio residents are changing neighborhoods within the city, not leaving the metro area.

SAN ANTONIO, TX, UNITED STATES, January 8, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Study of 446 residential moves finds local “reshuffle,” with strongest growth pulling toward the East Suburbs, Hill Country, and the metro’s outer edges

A new data-driven analysis from 3 Men

Movers, a long-established moving company in San Antonio, reveals that the city’s biggest moving story in Q4 2025 wasn’t an exodus; it was a neighborhood-to-neighborhood reshuffle. Reviewing 446 residential moves completed between September 1 and December 12, 2025, the company found that 61.2% of moves stayed within the San Antonio metro area, suggesting that most residents are changing zip codes, not cities.

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 #𝟏: 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐥𝐞, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐬:
The majority of moves analyzed were local: 273 of 446 moves (61.2%) occurred within the San Antonio metro area, split between moves to a different SA zip (168) and moves within the same zip (105). Meanwhile, only 18.4% of moves left San Antonio (82 moves out), and 5.4% came into the city (24 moves in).

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 #𝟐: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠:
The report shows a clear gravitate toward the periphery, with the strongest net-positive migration concentrating in:
East Suburbs (29% net-positive)
Hill Country (23% net-positive)
Far North San Antonio (18% net-positive)
Medical Center Area (14% net-positive)

In contrast, several established areas saw the largest net outflows, led by:
North Suburbs (-62% net-negative)
Northeast San Antonio (-62% net-negative)
Downtown/Central San Antonio (-55% net-negative)
Northwest San Antonio (-48% net-negative)

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 #𝟑: “𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐧” 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬):
Not all net-loss areas are quiet. North Central San Antonio stood out as the market’s “revolving door”: it posted a modest -12% net migration, yet ranked as both the #1 origin (14.6% of all moves) and the #1 destination (13.2% of all moves). In other words, lots of people are moving out, but lots are also moving in, creating a high-velocity, high-turnover pattern rather than a simple decline.

What it means for San Antonio real estate, development, and local business

3 Men Movers’ findings point to practical signals for builders, brokers, planners, and local brands:

Housing demand is strongest on the outskirts, where new development and “more space for the money” typically live.

Established areas may be entering a transition cycle, where retention, renovation, and neighborhood reinvestment become more important than raw growth.

Business growth and marketing strategy should follow rooftops, with emphasis on the East Suburbs, Hill Country, and Far North corridors where net gains are strongest.

“We expected to see movement, but this data was very interesting,” said Teresa Cory, Operations Manager at 3 Men Movers. “It proves that residents aren’t abandoning San Antonio, just rebalancing where they live within the city, and shifting outward.”

Methodology:
This report is based on a proprietary dataset of 446 residential moves completed by 3 Men Movers during the analysis window of September 1 through December 12, 2025. Findings provide a directional snapshot of moving patterns observed through one moving company’s activity and may not represent the full housing market.

About 3 Men Movers
3 Men Movers is a Texas-based moving company providing residential and commercial moving services across major metro areas, including San Antonio. Known for trained crews and a customer-first approach, the company helps Texans relocate with care, efficiency, and respect.