Barangay Santa Cruz

Situated in Gonzaga, Cagayan, Barangay Santa Cruz is one of 25 barangays that make up the municipality within Cagayan Valley.

According to the 2020 Philippine census, Barangay Santa Cruz had a population of 1,024. This made it the 21st largest of 25 barangays in Gonzaga by population, placing it among the smaller barangays of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Santa Cruz accounted for approximately 2.46% of the total population of Gonzaga, which stood at 41,680 in the same census year.

Census comparisons between 2015 and 2020 show Barangay Santa Cruz moving from 1,013 residents to 1,024 residents, an intercensal change of +1.1%. The trajectory indicates a slowly expanding community. Barangay Santa Cruz is officially classified as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Gonzaga is a municipality comprising 25 barangays, and serves as the governing unit directly responsible for local services in Barangay Santa Cruz, including public health, sanitation, peace and order, and civil registration. Within the wider province of Cagayan, which contains 820 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay Santa Cruz ranks 500th by 2020 population. Cagayan is classified as a 1st by the Bureau of Local Government Finance, a category that reflects the province's annual regular income.

Barangay Santa Cruz 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.