Town · Brunswick County, North Carolina

St. James, North Carolina

St. James is a town in Brunswick County, North Carolina, part of the Wilmington, NC metro area. It has 7,072 residents. St. James, North Carolina has a quality-of-life score of 80 out of 100 (high), ranking #3,202 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within North Carolina it ranks #59 of 458 cities and towns. It ranks best on rent as share of income (low), voter turnout (high) and mammography screening (high). It ranks worst on natural hazard risk (high), distance to an emergency room (high) and home price to income ratio (high).

80High

Quality-of-life score: #3,202 of 15,651 cities and towns
North Carolina: #59 of 458 in NC
Population: 7,072 (2020-2024)
Land area: 9 mi²
Density: 776.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 3758630

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.

Safety30#10,911/15,637
Economy75#3,971/15,631
Housing74#3,907/14,977
Health69#4,811/15,609
Healthcare66#5,383/15,650
Environment56#6,732/15,453
Education87#1,975/15,649
Infrastructure94#894/15,650
Community65#5,456/15,651
Leisure & amenities52#7,570/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Rent as share of income · low12.5%
100/100North Carolina 29.5%United States 30.6%2019-2023U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Voter turnout · high85.4%
99/100North Carolina 72.9%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionBrunswick County value
Mammography screening · high61.0%
99/100North Carolina 50.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBrunswick County value
Public transit commuters · high13.6%
99/100North Carolina 0.6%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301High uncertainty
Job growth · high3.6%
96/100North Carolina 0.8%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataBrunswick County value
Bachelor's degree or higher · high68.3%
96/100North Carolina 35.7%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Weaknesses

Natural hazard risk · high98.0
2/100North Carolina 45.12025Federal Emergency Management AgencyBrunswick County value
Distance to an emergency room · high10.8 mi
14/100North Carolina 7.9 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesBrunswick County value
Home price to income ratio · high5.5×
15/100North Carolina 4.0×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.479
17/100North Carolina 0.477United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Homicide rate · high6.9 /100k
17/100North Carolina 6.9 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataBrunswick County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high71 mi
18/100North Carolina 23 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauBrunswick County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
5,521 (2015-2019) → 7,072 (2020-2024)
+28%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
28.6% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−29 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
New homes permittedWorsening
44.5 /1k (2021) → 4.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−91%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Public transit commutersImproving
0.0% (2015-2019) → 13.6% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B08301US 5.0% → 3.2%
Average commute timeWorsening
31.4 min (2015-2019) → 50.3 min (2020-2024)
+60%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Rent as share of incomeImproving
23.3% (2015-2019) → 12.5% (2019-2023)
−11 pts4 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.2%

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, North Carolina improved on 0 of 8 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 6 moved within the margin of error and 1 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+1.1×4.4× → 5.5×

All 8 measures

Change of every measure of St. James, North Carolina between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Bachelor's degree or higher	69.0%2015-2019	68.3%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Broadband subscriptions	97.7%2015-2019	95.8%2020-2024	−1.8 points	Within the margin of error	5%
Child poverty rate	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Effective property tax rate	0.59%2015-2019	0.44%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	49%
High school diploma or higher	98.3%2015-2019	99.1%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	45%
Home price to income ratio	4.4×2015-2019	5.5×2020-2024	+1.1×	Declined	18%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4122015-2019	0.4792020-2024	+0.067	Within the margin of error	11%
Median household income	$104,8502015-2019	$116,3832020-2024	+11%	Within the margin of error	18%

“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, North Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of St. James, North Carolina 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, North Carolina itself moved −8.5 points in standing on average over the same 7 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

7,072 residents (±14)

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: 80 and over men (+4.1 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

7,072 residents (±14)

St. James, North Carolina
North Carolina share

White90%6,393
Black0.4%†26
Hispanic or Latino6.2%†440

Education

6,925 residents (±133)

St. James, North Carolina
North Carolina share

No high school diploma0.9%†59
High school or GED11%†766
Some college11%

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

3,533 households (±163)

St. James, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $25k5.5%†194
$25k–50k11%†391
$50k–75k15%†542
$75k–100k11%†400
$100k–150k18%†629
$150k–200k18%†643
$200k or more21%734

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

3,533 households (±163)

St. James, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Own96%3,407
Rent3.6%†126

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

48 households (±55)

St. James, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,50050%†24

Home values

3,407 homes (±185)

St. James, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $150k3.7%†127
$150k–250k3.1%†104
$250k–400k8.9%†

Age of homes

4,321 homes (±326)

St. James, North Carolina
North Carolina share

2010 or later54%2,322
2000–200926%1,125
1980–199918%†774

Size of homes

4,321 homes (±326)

St. James, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Studio2.1%†91
1 bedroom0.9%†39
2 bedrooms9.7%†418

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

1,446 workers (±282)

St. James, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Drive alone39%†570
Carpool5.4%†78
Public transit14%†197
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home40%†574
Other1.9%†27

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Walk (−7.0 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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

872 workers (±313)

St. James, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under 15 min14%†119
15–29 min39%†344
30–44 min6.3%†

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 Wilmington, NC

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

Brunswick County has 3,093 employer establishments, 194 for every 10,000 residents (0.78× the US rate of 248; 0.82× North Carolina's), with 33,646 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,974. The Census Bureau also counts 15,729 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 3,093; 15,729 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 194; US 248 · North Carolina 237
Paid employees: 33,646
Average annual pay: $43,974; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	315	19.8	1.08×About typical	5,660	$22,929	55
Specialty trade contractors	282	17.7	1.14×About typical	1,946	$54,746	1,255
Lessors of real estate	206	12.9	1.05×About typical	806	$53,587	1,922
Ambulatory health care services	204	12.8	0.61×Fewer than typical	2,033	$60,131	574
Construction of buildings	181	11.4	1.50×More than typical	781	$60,170	700
Building equipment contractors	144	9	1.50×More than typical	1,105	$53,046	200
Full-service restaurants	144	9	1.18×About typical	2,986	$26,501	25
Services to buildings and dwellings	130	8.2	1.21×About typical	1,103	$40,153	1,585
Limited-service restaurants	124	7.8	0.97×About typical	2,242	$19,012	21
Real estate agents and brokers	124	7.8	1.60×More than typical	360	$55,131	864
Landscaping services	76	4.8	1.36×More than typical	549	$48,718	410
Religious organizations	73	4.6	0.83×About typical	364	$26,514	—

Rank places for an industry Open Brunswick County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 159,425 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 $1.9M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in St. James, North Carolina: $269 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $1.9M; −82% vs FY2025
Per resident: $269; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.5%; US 30%
Single offer: 92%; 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

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

4.8MFY2017
4.3MFY2018
4.3MFY2019
3MFY2020
4.7MFY2021
8MFY2022
5.4MFY2023
7.8M

Top industries (NAICS)

Deep sea, coastal, and Great Lakes water transportation · 4831$1.7M92%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$80.7K4.3%
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416$56.7K3.0%
Other miscellaneous manufacturing · 3399$6,9550.4%
Waste treatment and disposal · 5622$5,0740.3%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415

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, North Carolina, so they do not add up across cities.

St. James, North Carolina's figures are part of those of Brunswick County, NC ($40.1M in FY2026), never added to them: 4.7% of that total.

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

See federal money in Brunswick 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, North Carolina is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

David RouzerR-NC-7 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 1.5%

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.

Brunswick County70100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Wilmington, NC81

Other cities and towns in Brunswick 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/3758630

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends