City · Camden County, Georgia

St. Marys, Georgia

St. Marys is a city in Camden County, Georgia, part of the Kingsland, GA metro area. It has 19,166 residents. St. Marys, Georgia has a quality-of-life score of 22 out of 100 (low), ranking #12,262 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Georgia it ranks #173 of 386 cities and towns. It ranks best on comfortable days (high), reading scores (high) and new homes permitted (high). It ranks worst on child poverty rate (high), primary care physicians (low) and food environment index (low).

22Low

Quality-of-life score: #12,262 of 15,651 cities and towns
Georgia: #173 of 386 in GA
Population: 19,166 (2020-2024)
Land area: 26 mi²
Density: 750.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 1367984

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety45#8,569/15,637
Economy27#11,374/15,631
Housing39#9,125/14,977
Health30#10,949/15,609
Healthcare13#13,683/15,650
Environment27#11,214/15,453
Education76#3,820/15,649
Infrastructure56#6,952/15,650
Community9#14,302/15,651
Leisure & amenities6#14,765/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where St. Marys, Georgia ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Camden County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Comfortable days · high35.0%
95/100Georgia 31.5%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationCamden County value
Reading scores · high3.36
92/100Georgia 2.97United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCamden County value
New homes permitted · high12.5 /1k
91/100Georgia 5.5 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Math scores · high3.33
86/100Georgia 2.92United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCamden County value
Hospital quality rating · high4.0
80/100Georgia 3.0United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesCamden County value
High ozone days · low0 days
76/100Georgia 1 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyCamden County value

Weaknesses

Child poverty rate · high30.7%
5/100Georgia 16.9%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Primary care physicians · low23 /100k
6/100Georgia 67 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCamden County value
Food environment index · low6.4
7/100Georgia 6.2United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCamden County value
Drought exposure · high88%
7/100Georgia 73%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAACamden County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low1.7 /10k
7/100Georgia 4.9 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCamden County value
Mental health care shortage · high18.0
11/100Georgia 9.6United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationCamden County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
18,077 (2015-2019) → 19,166 (2020-2024)
+6%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
86.2% (2015-2019) → 94.0% (2020-2024)
+7.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.0× (2015-2019) → 4.2× (2020-2024)
+38%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Median household incomeImproving
$59,869 (2015-2019) → $74,288 (2020-2024)
+24%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Average commute timeWorsening
22.3 min (2015-2019) → 26.2 min (2020-2024)
+17%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
26.5% (2015-2019) → 29.3% (2020-2024)
+2.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, St. Marys, Georgia improved on 2 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 11 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Broadband+7.8 points86.2% → 94.0%
Household income+24%$59,869 → $74,288

Declined1

Price / income+1.2×3.0× → 4.2×

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of St. Marys, Georgia between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.3 min2015-2019	26.2 min2020-2024	+3.9 min	Within the margin of error	15%
Bachelor's degree or higher	26.5%2015-2019	29.3%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Within the margin of error	50%
Broadband subscriptions	86.2%2015-2019	94.0%2020-2024	+7.8 points	Improved	48%
Child poverty rate	29.8%2015-2019	30.7%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Effective property tax rate	0.98%2015-2019	0.86%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	41%
High school diploma or higher	94.2%2015-2019	93.3%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Home price to income ratio	3.0×2015-2019	4.2×2020-2024	+1.2×	Declined	17%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4282015-2019	0.4172020-2024	−0.010	Within the margin of error	60%
Median household income	$59,8692015-2019	$74,2882020-2024	+24%	Improved	42%
Poverty rate	16.1%2015-2019	17.4%2020-2024	+1.4 points	Within the margin of error	31%
Rent as share of income	28.3%2015-2019	28.6%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Rent-burdened households	46.1%2015-2019	47.8%2020-2024	+1.6 points	Within the margin of error	50%
Unemployment rate	8.9%2015-2019	7.6%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	12.4%2015-2019	9.9%2020-2024	−2.5 points	Within the margin of error	73%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like St. Marys, Georgia five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of St. Marys, Georgia in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, St. Marys, Georgia itself moved −4.7 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

19,166 residents (±39)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

7,415 households (±367)

St. Marys, Georgia
Georgia share

Under $25k17%1,271
$25k–50k14%1,034
$50k–75k20%1,472

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

7,415 households (±367)

St. Marys, Georgia
Georgia share

Own61%4,531
Rent39%2,884

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

7,815 workers (±627)

St. Marys, Georgia
Georgia share

Drive alone79%6,150
Carpool7.7%†598
Public transit0.1%†10

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Kingsland, GA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Camden County, the county holding most of St. Marys's residents.

Camden County has 947 employer establishments, 164 for every 10,000 residents (0.66× the US rate of 248; 0.69× Georgia's), with 10,074 paid employees at an average annual pay of $39,697. The Census Bureau also counts 3,696 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 947; 3,696 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 164; US 248 · Georgia 236
Paid employees: 10,074
Average annual pay: $39,697; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Camden County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	89	15.4	0.74×Fewer than typical	636	$56,660	137
Restaurants and other eating places	88	15.2	0.83×About typical	1,942	$19,659	27
Lessors of real estate	53	9.2	0.74×Fewer than typical	134	$44,776	357
Limited-service restaurants	45	7.8	0.97×About typical	1,024	$18,862	8
Specialty trade contractors	43	7.4	0.48×Fewer than typical	176	$53,159	225
Gasoline stations	35	6	1.86×More than typical	326	$31,095	—
Religious organizations	35	6	1.09×About typical	232	$19,724	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	33	5.7	0.85×About typical	113	$32,761	306
Full-service restaurants	30	5.2	0.67×Fewer than typical	750	$21,179	8
Offices of other health practitioners	29	5	0.82×About typical	144	$45,771	63
Construction of buildings	28	4.8	0.64×Fewer than typical	77	$63,299	98
Traveler accommodation	28	4.8	2.68×More than typical	264	$22,981	12

Rank places for an industry Open Camden County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 57,901 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $4.2M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in St. Marys, Georgia: $222 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $4.2M; +107% vs FY2025
Per resident: $222; US $1,994
Sole-source: 6.2%; US 30%
Single offer: 83%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Navy$4M94%
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration$118.2K2.8%
National Park Service$84.3K2.0%
U.S. Coast Guard$18.3K0.4%
Department of Veterans Affairs$13.6K0.3%
Defense Logistics Agency$2,3670.1%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

2.6MFY2017
6.3MFY2018
7.6MFY2019
4.9MFY2020
5MFY2021
2.6MFY2022
8.5MFY2023
21.1M

Top industries (NAICS)

Support activities for water transportation · 4883$3.5M82%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$426.5K10%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$139.6K3.3%
Electronic and precision equipment repair and maintenance · 8112$118.2K2.8%
Other specialty trade contractors · 2389$17.1K0.4%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in St. Marys, Georgia, so they do not add up across cities.

St. Marys, Georgia's figures are part of those of Camden County, GA ($228.8M in FY2026), never added to them: 1.9% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: St. Marys is mostly in Camden County.

See federal money in Camden County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

St. Marys, Georgia is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Earl L. "Buddy" CarterR-GA-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 5.5%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Camden County36100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Kingsland, GA37

Other cities and towns in Camden County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/1367984

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends