What San Antonio's 2024 Homicide Map Means for Home Buyers and Renters

If you are buying, selling, or renting a home in San Antonio right now, public safety data is almost certainly part of your research. A recent analysis by KSAT, based on police records, mapped at least 127 homicides across the city in 2024. That number is meaningful on its own, but the trend behind it matters just as much to anyone making a real estate decision in May 2025.

San Antonio recorded at least 165 homicides in 2023. The drop to 127 in 2024 represents a real and measurable improvement in public safety. Then the early 2025 numbers arrived: homicides were down 37.5 percent in the first quarter of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024. Taken together, these figures suggest the city is moving in a positive direction, and that context is worth keeping in mind as you evaluate neighborhoods.

The KSAT map also identified the West Side ZIP code 78207 as the area with the highest concentration of homicides in 2024. For buyers and renters considering the West Side, that is a data point worth taking seriously. It does not tell the whole story of a neighborhood, but it is a legitimate factor to weigh alongside home prices, school assignments, commute times, and everything else that shapes a housing decision. Parts of the West Side have long attracted buyers because of affordability and proximity to downtown San Antonio, and community investment in that corridor continues. Even so, informed buyers should go into any purchase with clear eyes.

For buyers looking at other parts of the city, the KSAT map is a useful starting point rather than a final answer. Homicide incidents were spread across multiple ZIP codes, so it is worth drilling into the specific address or block you are considering rather than writing off an entire zip code based on aggregate data. San Antonio covers a large geographic footprint, and safety conditions can vary significantly from one street to the next, whether you are looking in Helotes, Converse, Live Oak, or a neighborhood closer to the urban core.

School district boundaries are another piece of the puzzle. Families often anchor their neighborhood search to a particular district, whether that is Northside ISD, North East ISD, San Antonio ISD, Judson ISD, or one of the smaller surrounding districts. Safety data at the ZIP code level does not map perfectly onto school district lines, so it pays to look at both independently. Your agent can help you understand which streets fall into which attendance zones, and local district websites publish campus safety information that adds another layer of context.

If you are selling a home in a neighborhood that appears on the KSAT map, the declining trend in homicides is a legitimate talking point. Buyers doing their homework will find this data regardless, so getting ahead of the conversation with accurate, current context is a smarter approach than hoping the topic never comes up. Sellers in areas where crime has measurably improved over the past two years are in a stronger position than they might realize, and a knowledgeable agent can help frame that story honestly.

For renters, the same logic applies. Lease terms are shorter than mortgage commitments, but safety still affects quality of life and the decision to renew or move. If you are choosing between apartments or rental homes in different parts of the city, layering public safety data alongside walkability, transit access, and price will give you a more complete picture than any single metric alone.

Homeowners who are not planning to move anytime soon can use this data to stay engaged with their community. Neighborhood associations, community policing programs, and city council district offices are all channels for residents who want to stay informed and advocate for continued improvement. The quarter-over-quarter drop in homicides in early 2025 suggests those collective efforts are having some effect.

No map or statistic can fully capture the experience of living in a neighborhood. Crime data reflects reported incidents over a specific period, and it does not account for the neighbors who look out for each other, the block that just completed a park renovation, or the small business that opened last month and brought new foot traffic to a corridor. Good real estate decisions blend hard data with firsthand observation.

Walk the streets at different times of day. Talk to people who already live there. Ask your agent specific questions about the block you are considering, not just the ZIP code. And use resources like the KSAT homicide map as one input among many, not as the only word on whether a San Antonio neighborhood is right for you.