Barangay San Rafael

Barangay San Rafael forms part of San Esteban, a municipality in Ilocos Sur, and is classified as a small barangay.

According to the 2020 Philippine census, Barangay San Rafael had a population of 721. This made it the 7th largest of 10 barangays in San Esteban by population, placing it in the middle tier of the municipality. Residents of Barangay San Rafael accounted for approximately 8.60% of the total population of San Esteban, which stood at 8,381 in the same census year.

Between the 2015 and 2020 censuses, the population of Barangay San Rafael changed from 659 to 721, a shift of +9.4% over the five-year period. This places the barangay among those with growing populations in San Esteban. Barangay San Rafael is officially classified as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

San Esteban is a municipality comprising 10 barangays, and serves as the governing unit directly responsible for local services in Barangay San Rafael, including public health, sanitation, peace and order, and civil registration. Within the wider province of Ilocos Sur, which contains 768 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay San Rafael ranks 417th by 2020 population. Ilocos Sur is classified as a 1st by the Bureau of Local Government Finance, a category that reflects the province's annual regular income.

Barangay San Rafael 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.