Over 8 million people are expected to live in the metros combined by 2050.
SAN ANTONIO — The population of both Austin and San Antonio are exploding in number as people flock to Texas from across the country.
Leaders from both cities and all towns in between are working together to foster new growth to keep bringing people to this part of the Lone Star State.
It is being called the San Antonio-Austin Megaregion and thanks to progress and innovation, it is poised to become one of the most dynamic zones in the U.S. economy.
Ed Latson, the Opportunity Austin CEO told KENS 5, “I think when you look at San Antonio and Austin, we both recognize that these two economies are merging together.”
Hundreds of people in San Marcos gathered at Texas State University for the inaugural San Antonio-Austin Megaregional Collaborative.
“This session is about the people who are in charge with preparing. Preparing our roadways, preparing our water supply, preparing our electric power, preparing our educational institutions,” said Former San Antonio Henry Cisneros said.
Jenna Saucedo-Herrera, the Greater SATX CEO added, “If you take a step back and you think about how we marketed the collective megaregion together, internationally, we know that within the next 20 years, this corridor will be one of the most dynamic in the world.”
As of 2024 Austin’s population was 975,000. San Antonio, 1.5 million. Taking into account everything in between, the San Antonio-Austn metro tops 5 million people, with much more to come.
“It’s going to be 8.3 million people. So it’s going to grow. The question isn’t are we going to grow, but how are we going to prepare?” Cisneros said.
Texas outpaced the U.S. job growth rate by 0.6 percentage points in 2024. San Antonio and Austin were among the top five metros for job growth in the country.
Both cities have consistently ranked among the fastest growing in the country.
“We generate power together. We have to travel on each other’s roadways. It’s a regional challenge,” Cisneros added.
Cisneros also said because the challenge is a regional one, that’s why they’re taking to calling this a megaregion.