Barangay Santa Maria

Barangay Santa Maria is a very small barangay in the municipality of Itbayat, located in the province of Batanes, in the Cagayan Valley region of the Philippines.

According to the 2020 Philippine census, Barangay Santa Maria had a population of 488. This made it the 3rd largest of 5 barangays in Itbayat by population, placing it in the middle tier of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Santa Maria accounted for approximately 15.60% of the total population of Itbayat, which stood at 3,128 in the same census year.

Census comparisons between 2015 and 2020 show Barangay Santa Maria moving from 463 residents to 488 residents, an intercensal change of +5.4%. The trajectory indicates a growing community. Barangay Santa Maria is officially classified as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Itbayat is a municipality comprising 5 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 Batanes, which contains 29 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay Santa Maria ranks 10th by 2020 population. Batanes is classified as a 5th 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.