By Phyllis Domingo, REALTOR® · San Antonio Relocation Specialist · 6 min read About 6.2 percent of Americans 65 and older moved in the most recent Census survey year, more than 3 million people, and proximity to family is one of the top reasons given. Here is how the grandbaby move shows up in San Antonio and the Hill Country.
The headline number
The most recent Census Bureau look at older Americans on the move, based on 2021 to 2022 data and released in 2024, found that about 6.2 percent of adults 65 and older had moved in the prior year, which works out to more than 3 million people in a typical year. Older adults on the move, Census data reported by McKnight's Senior Living
The most mobile group inside that 3 million is a surprise to many families: adults 85 and older, the age range where health, caregiving, and being near adult children start to outweigh lifestyle in the decision.
Family proximity sits near the top of the reasons
Among the reasons older adults give for moving, the Census Bureau lists proximity to family alongside warmer climates and access to amenities. U.S. Census Bureau press release on older Americans' moving patterns
Housing research points the same direction: roughly a quarter of baby boomer households say they plan to retire near their children and grandchildren. When the adult kids are in Texas, the pull is usually the grandkids, and San Antonio is one of the most common follow-the-family destinations in the state.
What the move actually looks like
Most older moves stay short distance, often to stay near familiar doctors, friends, and routines rather than to start over somewhere unknown. U.S. Census Bureau: Domestic Migration of Older Americans, 2015-2019
The long-distance version, the kind I help with every week, is a different animal: selling the family home, right-sizing a lifetime of stuff, and rebuilding a routine in a new town. It deserves more planning, not less.
Why San Antonio and Boerne keep showing up on the list
Three things pull senior movers here specifically. Housing comes first: cost-of-living estimates for San Antonio run well below the national average, which means a home sale in a pricey market can go further here. My San Antonio cost of living post has the current numbers.
Second is the built environment: single-story new construction, ranch plans with wide doorways, and dedicated 55+ communities from far-west San Antonio to Boerne, surveyed honestly in my guide to 55+ communities.
Third is the lifestyle: no harsh winters, no state income tax, and a Hill Country that turns visitors into residents. Add adult children in town, and the case writes itself.
The Fair Housing note that matters
One thing I keep front and center: housing for older persons is a legal category under the Fair Housing Act, and 55+ communities have specific rules about who they may serve. That detail should come from a professional, not an assumption. In my practice, age, family status, and marital status never steer the search. I help you find what actually fits, and I am glad to walk every buyer through how the rules apply to their specific situation.
A no-pressure checklist for the long-distance move
If the move is cross-country, the planning list is longer than the one-way U-Haul. Walk through these before you put the house on the market:
- Visit in the off-season too: a June weekend in the Hill Country is lovely, and a January visit answers the winter question honestly.
- Try renting first if you are unsure. Six to twelve months in the neighborhood costs far less than a wrong purchase, and it makes the what-did-we-miss question academic.
- Right-size instead of just shrinking: single-level, less yard, close to the grandkids, and still enough room for the holiday crowd.
- Bring in local help for what you cannot see from a thousand miles away: real tax numbers, resale trends, and the traffic patterns that shape daily life.
- Keep the paperwork simple: Texas has no state income tax, but its property tax and homestead rules matter in every budget, so run them before you fall in love.
Start the conversation
If a move closer to family is on your horizon, call or text me at 210-744-5478, or use the contact page. We can talk through timing, neighborhoods, the tax picture, and what right-sizing looks like for your specific family, with zero pressure and all the patience you need.
Watch Phyllis on this topic
Sources
The numbers in this post were checked against these sources on September 25, 2026.
