Barangay Santa Cruz Lower

Classified as a small barangay, Barangay Santa Cruz Lower is one of the administrative divisions of Lala in Lanao Del Norte, Northern Mindanao, Philippines.

According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority, Barangay Santa Cruz Lower had a population of 1,150. This made it the 23rd largest of 27 barangays in Lala by population, placing it among the smaller barangays of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Santa Cruz Lower accounted for approximately 1.57% of the total population of Lala, which stood at 73,425 in the same census year.

Between the 2015 and 2020 censuses, the population of Barangay Santa Cruz Lower changed from 1,128 to 1,150, a shift of +2.0% over the five-year period. This places the barangay among those with slowly expanding populations in Lala. The Philippine Statistics Authority classifies Barangay Santa Cruz Lower as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Lala is a municipality comprising 27 barangays, and serves as the governing unit directly responsible for local services in Barangay Santa Cruz Lower, including public health, sanitation, peace and order, and civil registration. Within the wider province of Lanao Del Norte, which contains 506 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay Santa Cruz Lower ranks 232nd by 2020 population. Lanao Del Norte is classified as a 2nd by the Bureau of Local Government Finance, a category that reflects the province's annual regular income.

The barangay's legislative and executive affairs are handled by a Punong Barangay and the Sangguniang Barangay, elected nationwide during the Barangay and SK Elections. The next BSKE is scheduled for Monday, November 2, 2026, following the synchronized election schedule set by COMELEC Resolution No. 11191.