Census-designated place · Washington County, Maryland

St. James, Maryland

St. James is a census-designated place in Washington County, Maryland, part of the Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV metro area. It has 4,824 residents. St. James, Maryland has a quality-of-life score of 62 out of 100 (high), ranking #5,894 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Maryland it ranks #178 of 334 cities and towns. It ranks best on income inequality (Gini index) (low), job growth (high) and child poverty rate (low). It ranks worst on time spent in the emergency room (high), average commute time (high) and injury deaths (high).

62High

Quality-of-life score: #5,894 of 15,651 cities and towns
Maryland: #178 of 334 in MD
Population: 4,824 (2020-2024)
Land area: 6 mi²
Density: 798.0 /mi²
FIPS code: 2469550

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 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.

Safety39#9,594/15,637
Economy93#1,172/15,631
Housing51#7,399/14,977
Health53#7,338/15,609
Healthcare44#8,800/15,650
Environment76#3,647/15,453
Education47#8,282/15,649
Infrastructure75#3,945/15,650
Community38#9,699/15,651
Leisure & amenities58#6,559/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where St. James, Maryland ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Washington 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

Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.316
98/100Maryland 0.456United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Job growth · high4.7%
97/100Maryland -1.7%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataWashington County value
Child poverty rate · low1.2%
96/100Maryland 11.2%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001High uncertainty
Broadband subscriptions · high97.7%
91/100Maryland 92.4%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Unemployment rate · low1.4%
89/100Maryland 4.0%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty
Natural hazard risk · low7.3
88/100Maryland 4.72025Federal Emergency Management AgencyWashington County value

Weaknesses

Time spent in the emergency room · high250 min
3/100Maryland 246 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesWashington County value
Average commute time · high37.6 min
6/100Maryland 31.0 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Injury deaths · high140 /100k
6/100Maryland 95 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWashington County value
Drought exposure · high91%
6/100Maryland 64%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAWashington County value
Primary care shortage · high17.0
9/100Maryland 7.1United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationWashington County value
Comfortable days · low23.4%
12/100Maryland 24.9%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationWashington County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
3,860 (2015-2019) → 4,824 (2020-2024)
+25%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.5× (2015-2019) → 4.2× (2020-2024)
+71%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
43.9% (2015-2019) → 34.0% (2020-2024)
−10 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
37.1% (2015-2019) → 28.9% (2020-2024)
−8.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
91.5% (2015-2019) → 97.7% (2020-2024)
+6.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
29.2% (2015-2019) → 24.2% (2020-2024)
−5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

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. James, Maryland improved on 0 of 9 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 8 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.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined1

Price / income+1.7×2.5× → 4.2×

All 9 measures

Change of every measure of St. James, Maryland between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	33.8 min2015-2019	37.6 min2020-2024	+3.8 min	Within the margin of error	15%
Bachelor's degree or higher	37.1%2015-2019	28.9%2020-2024	−8.2 points	Within the margin of error	3%
Broadband subscriptions	91.5%2015-2019	97.7%2020-2024	+6.2 points	Within the margin of error	39%
Effective property tax rate	0.95%2015-2019	0.73%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	62%
High school diploma or higher	93.0%2015-2019	91.7%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	20%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	4.2×2020-2024	+1.7×	Declined	6%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3152015-2019	0.3162020-2024	+0.001	Within the margin of error	49%
Median household income	$107,8682015-2019	$97,3612020-2024	−9.7%	Within the margin of error	3%
Rent as share of income	29.2%2015-2019	24.2%2020-2024	−5 points	Within the margin of error	83%

“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. James, Maryland five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of St. James, Maryland 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. James, Maryland itself moved −5.4 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

4,824 residents (±783)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 20–29 men (−6.3 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

4,824 residents (±783)

St. James, Maryland
Maryland share

White64%3,109
Black11%†513
Hispanic or Latino13%†613

Education

3,159 residents (±448)

St. James, Maryland
Maryland share

No high school diploma8.3%†262
High school or GED35%1,093
Some college17%†549

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

1,654 households (±264)

St. James, Maryland
Maryland share

Under $25k4.8%†80
$25k–50k12%†198
$50k–75k14%†225
$75k–100k21%†349
$100k–150k25%†411
$150k–200k17%†279
$200k or more6.8%†112

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

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,654 households (±264)

St. James, Maryland
Maryland share

Own80%1,321
Rent20%†333

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

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

309 households (±231)

St. James, Maryland
Maryland share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,00034%†106
$1,000–1,50060%†186

Home values

1,321 homes (±232)

St. James, Maryland
Maryland share

Under $150k0.0%0
$150k–250k7.2%†95
$250k–400k38%†507

Age of homes

1,705 homes (±277)

St. James, Maryland
Maryland share

2010 or later26%†439
2000–200925%†421
1980–199913%†224

Size of homes

1,705 homes (±277)

St. James, Maryland
Maryland share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom1.1%†19
2 bedrooms16%†265

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

2,218 workers (±404)

St. James, Maryland
Maryland share

Drive alone85%1,890
Carpool4.7%†104
Public transit1.2%†27
Walk0.3%†6
Bike0.0%0
Work from home8.6%†191
Other0.0%0

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

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

2,027 workers (±396)

St. James, Maryland
Maryland share

Under 15 min27%†550
15–29 min28%†560
30–44 min14%†275

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV

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 Washington County, the county holding most of St. James's residents.

Washington County has 3,417 employer establishments, 220 for every 10,000 residents (0.89× the US rate of 248; 0.95× Maryland's), with 61,729 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,242. The Census Bureau also counts 11,673 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 3,417; 11,673 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 220; US 248 · Maryland 230
Paid employees: 61,729
Average annual pay: $49,242; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	270	17.4	0.83×About typical	3,878	$76,140	545
Restaurants and other eating places	261	16.8	0.91×About typical	5,046	$21,215	65
Specialty trade contractors	230	14.8	0.96×About typical	2,318	$64,588	918
Religious organizations	137	8.8	1.59×More than typical	649	$23,723	—
Limited-service restaurants	128	8.2	1.03×About typical	2,509	$18,777	23
Lessors of real estate	112	7.2	0.58×Fewer than typical	424	$44,182	1,039
Full-service restaurants	103	6.6	0.86×About typical	2,128	$24,250	36
Services to buildings and dwellings	100	6.4	0.95×About typical	736	$33,287	710
Truck transportation	98	6.3	1.25×About typical	2,207	$62,889	321
Building equipment contractors	94	6	1.00×About typical	1,036	$62,954	214
Offices of physicians	92	5.9	0.91×About typical	1,427	$99,925	77
Automotive repair and maintenance	90	5.8	1.15×About typical	437	$49,400	154

Rank places for an industry Open Washington County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 155,437 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 $7.6M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in St. James, Maryland: $1,577 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $7.6M; +459% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1,577; US $1,994
Sole-source: 9.8%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.2%; 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

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement$6.9M91%
Defense Logistics Agency$408.3K5.4%
Department of State$113.2K1.5%
Department of the Army$67.3K0.9%
Federal Communications Commission$42.2K0.6%
Department of the Navy$18K0.2%
Defense Human Resources Activity$16.4K0.2%
Defense Information Systems Agency$7,5050.1%

Top recipients

KVG LLC$6.4M84%
TEYA DIVERSIFIED SERVICES LLC$561.2K7.4%
MACCAFERRI, INC.$467.9K6.2%
CHENEGA NASWIK INTERNATIONAL LLC$113.4K1.5%
AIN LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY$42.2K0.6%

Spending by fiscal year

382.4KFY2017
444.6KFY2018
168.4KFY2019
610.8KFY2020
1.3MFY2021
517.2KFY2022
231.1KFY2023
592.2K

Top industries (NAICS)

Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416$6.4M84%
Facilities support services · 5612$563.3K7.4%
Architectural and structural metals manufacturing · 3323$418.9K5.5%
Warehousing and storage · 4931$113.4K1.5%
Spring and wire product manufacturing · 3326$66.9K0.9%
Other professional, scientific, and technical services · 5419$42.2K

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. James, Maryland, so they do not add up across cities.

St. James, Maryland's figures are part of those of Washington County, MD ($175.6M in FY2026), never added to them: 4.3% of that total.

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

See federal money in Washington 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. James, Maryland is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

April McClain DelaneyD-MD-6 · 100% of residentsWith party 96%Missed 2.7%

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.

Washington County55100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV49

Other cities and towns in Washington 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
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/2469550

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends