What it's like to live in Selma
Selma is a small city in Texas with household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below the national average, and a growing population. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Selma deals with rent well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and hot summers.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Growing population
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- Above-average commute times
- Air quality concerns
- Hot summers
How Selma compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Selma
Based on Selma's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,548
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $70,960 a year
- 36% of Selma renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$62,780
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $31,390
- Homes cost 3.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 26% above US
$1,774/mo median rent
Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,774 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $313,900. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $313,900 · 36% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.0% county unemployment
Unemployment in Bexar County is 4.0%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Bexar County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 52% below US
158 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 2038/100k · Selma Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 15% above US
30 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 29.8 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 20% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 93°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 39°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforceNear US average
37% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 37% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
0 public schools inside the boundary
No public school is located inside the boundary; students attend schools in the surrounding district. There are 2 private schools inside it.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is San Antonio Missions National Historical Park (20 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Selma's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and crime rates well below the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and commute times longer than most cities. A year of median rent ($1,774/mo) equals 22% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime and remote workers (20% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.
Other places near Selma
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