City · Bexar County, Texas

Helotes, Texas

Helotes is a city in Bexar County, Texas, part of the San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro area. It has 9,630 residents. Helotes, Texas has a quality-of-life score of 39 out of 100 (low), ranking #9,539 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Texas it ranks #213 of 1,016 cities and towns. It ranks best on adult smoking (low), frequent mental distress (low) and poverty rate (low). It ranks worst on property crime rate (high), hot days (high) and public libraries (low).

39Low

Quality-of-life score: #9,539 of 15,651 cities and towns
Texas: #213 of 1,016 in TX
Population: 9,630 (2020-2024)
Land area: 7 mi²
Density: 1,389.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 4833146

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety13#13,535/15,637
Economy89#1,677/15,631
Housing40#8,930/14,977
Health76#3,798/15,609
Healthcare55#6,968/15,650
Environment7#14,402/15,453
Education39#9,620/15,649
Infrastructure86#2,210/15,650
Community5#14,833/15,651
Leisure & amenities25#11,705/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Helotes, Texas ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Bexar County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Adult smoking · low7.9%
94/100Texas 15.3%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Frequent mental distress · low14.4%
93/100Texas 18.5%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Poverty rate · low3.1%
93/100Texas 13.4%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Median household income · high$132,675
91/100Texas $79,723United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013
Distance to an airport · low10 mi
89/100Texas 33 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauBexar County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.366
89/100Texas 0.478United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083

Weaknesses

Property crime rate · high3,281 /100k
1/100Texas 1,786 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationBexar County value
Hot days · high128 days
3/100Texas 111 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationBexar County value
Public libraries · low0.2 /10k
4/100Texas 0.3 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesBexar County value
Grocery stores · low0.7 /10k
4/100Texas 1.1 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBexar County value
High ozone days · high10 days
7/100Texas 7 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyBexar County value
Voter turnout · low54.1%
9/100Texas 57.8%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionBexar County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

New homes permittedWorsening
17.6 /1k (2021) → 3.4 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−80%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
55.6% (2015-2019) → 48.5% (2020-2024)
−7.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
High school diploma or higherWorsening
97.5% (2015-2019) → 92.8% (2020-2024)
−4.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Average commute timeImproving
31.1 min (2015-2019) → 25.7 min (2020-2024)
−17%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
49.5% (2015-2019) → 52.7% (2020-2024)
+3.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Median household incomeImproving
$116,875 (2015-2019) → $132,675 (2020-2024)
+14%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Helotes, Texas improved on 1 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Household income+14%$116,875 → $132,675

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Helotes, Texas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	31.1 min2015-2019	25.7 min2020-2024	−5.4 min	Within the margin of error	91%
Bachelor's degree or higher	49.5%2015-2019	52.7%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Broadband subscriptions	96.0%2015-2019	95.1%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Effective property tax rate	1.96%2015-2019	1.65%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	75%
High school diploma or higher	97.5%2015-2019	92.8%2020-2024	−4.7 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Home price to income ratio	2.7×2015-2019	3.0×2020-2024	+0.3×	Within the margin of error	61%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4162015-2019	0.3662020-2024	−0.050	Within the margin of error	84%
Median household income	$116,8752015-2019	$132,6752020-2024	+14%	Improved	21%
Rent as share of income	30.7%2015-2019	29.8%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	62%
Unemployment rate	7.2%2015-2019	5.0%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	84%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	5.1%2015-2019	5.9%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Within the margin of error	37%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Helotes, Texas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Helotes, Texas in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Helotes, Texas itself moved +1.1 points in standing on average over the same 9 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

9,630 residents (±27)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

2,945 households (±251)

Helotes, Texas
Texas share

Under $25k4.0%†118
$25k–50k6.5%†192
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

2,945 households (±251)

Helotes, Texas
Texas share

Own97%2,858
Rent3.0%†87

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

4,512 workers (±324)

Helotes, Texas
Texas share

Drive alone63%2,854
Carpool12%†546
Public transit1.0%†43

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Bexar County, the county holding most of Helotes's residents.

Bexar County has 39,726 employer establishments, 189 for every 10,000 residents (0.76× the US rate of 248; 0.87× Texas's), with 821,509 paid employees at an average annual pay of $58,073. The Census Bureau also counts 202,957 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 39,726; 202,957 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 189; US 248 · Texas 218
Paid employees: 821,509
Average annual pay: $58,073; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Bexar County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	4,425	21	1.01×About typical	62,560	$65,379	9,077
Restaurants and other eating places	3,621	17.2	0.94×About typical	83,439	$22,761	1,461
Lessors of real estate	2,200	10.5	0.85×About typical	11,301	$88,550	15,986
Specialty trade contractors	1,930	9.2	0.59×Fewer than typical	26,100	$64,924	19,604
Offices of physicians	1,731	8.2	1.27×More than typical	21,504	$100,470	2,068
Limited-service restaurants	1,673	8	0.99×About typical	39,458	$20,025	438
Full-service restaurants	1,472	7	0.91×About typical	37,610	$26,024	719
Legal services	1,116	5.3	0.99×About typical	7,302	$93,738	1,761
Construction of buildings	937	4.5	0.59×Fewer than typical	8,359	$97,411	8,650
Management, scientific and technical consulting	908	4.3	0.64×Fewer than typical	12,842	$113,411	5,552
Insurance agencies and brokerages	901	4.3	0.98×About typical	9,846	$73,437	2,800
Building equipment contractors	897	4.3	0.71×Fewer than typical	13,993	$67,820	4,143

Rank places for an industry Open Bexar County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 2,102,398 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $133.9K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Helotes, Texas: $13.91 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $133.9K; +100% vs FY2025
Per resident: $13.91; US $1,994
Sole-source: 15%; US 30%
Single offer: 1.8%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Defense Logistics Agency$57.3K43%
Defense Health Agency$53.1K40%
Federal Aviation Administration$19.6K15%
Department of the Army$1,5991.2%
Department of Veterans Affairs$1,2630.9%
Federal Prison Industries / Unicor$5990.4%
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Acquisition and Property Management Division$5590.4%

Top recipients

WILLOW TREE STRATEGIES, LLC$57.2K43%
STERLING COMPUTERS CORPORATION$53.1K40%
NUCELL COMMUNICATIONS INC$19.6K15%
FRANCONIA REAL ESTATE SERVICES, INC.$1,6901.3%
THE UNDERDOGS UNLIMITED, LLC$1,2190.9%

Spending by fiscal year

98.3KFY2017
74.8KFY2018
46.9KFY2019
34.1KFY2020
84.2KFY2021
176.4KFY2022
122.7KFY2023
84.4KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing · 3341$53.1K40%
Cutlery and handtool manufacturing · 3322$42.8K32%
Lumber and other construction materials merchant wholesalers · 4233$19.6K15%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$14.4K11%
Offices of real estate agents and brokers · 5312$1,6901.3%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Helotes, Texas, so they do not add up across cities.

Helotes, Texas's figures are part of those of Bexar County, TX ($7.9B in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Helotes is mostly in Bexar County.

See federal money in Bexar County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Helotes, Texas is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Bexar County33100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX32

Other cities and towns in Bexar County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/4833146

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends