Barangay Santa Maria

Barangay Santa Maria is a very small barangay in the municipality of Baras, located in the province of Catanduanes, in the Bicol Region region of the Philippines.

According to the 2020 Philippine census, Barangay Santa Maria had a population of 193. This made it the 24th largest of 29 barangays in Baras by population, placing it among the smaller barangays of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Santa Maria accounted for approximately 1.43% of the total population of Baras, which stood at 13,484 in the same census year.

Between the 2015 and 2020 censuses, the population of Barangay Santa Maria changed from 210 to 193, a shift of -8.1% over the five-year period. This places the barangay among those with contracting populations in Baras. Barangay Santa Maria is officially classified as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Baras is a municipality comprising 29 barangays, and serves as the governing unit directly responsible for local services in Barangay Santa Maria, including public health, sanitation, peace and order, and civil registration. Within the wider province of Catanduanes, which contains 315 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay Santa Maria ranks 303rd by 2020 population. Catanduanes is classified as a 3rd by the Bureau of Local Government Finance, a category that reflects the province's annual regular income.

Barangay Santa Maria is governed by an elected Sangguniang Barangay composed of a Punong Barangay and seven kagawads, with the Sangguniang Kabataan representing the youth. The next BSKE, set for Monday, November 2, 2026, will elect officials to four-year terms as provided under Republic Act No. 12232.