St. Marys, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
St. Marys · Camden County, Georgia
Population 18,805 (est. 2026: ~20,000)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 1.92% annual growth projection

St. Marys, Georgia

Camden County, Georgia · Population 18,256

St. Marys sits at the southeastern tip of Georgia, on the north bank of the St. Marys River where it empties into Cumberland Sound and the Atlantic. It is one of the oldest cities in the United States, though it carries that history lightly — the waterfront is quiet, the streets are lined with live oaks, and the ferry to Cumberland Island National Seashore departs from downtown. The Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base is the dominant economic force in the area, which explains the city's young median age, its transient population, and the particular rhythm of a military town at the edge of a national park. Jacksonville, Florida sits about 35 miles to the south, close enough to matter for specialized healthcare, retail, and employment, but St. Marys functions as its own place.

People & Demographics

St. Marys has a total population of 18,507 with a median age of 34.0 — noticeably younger than most Georgia cities, a direct reflection of the military presence at Kings Bay. The city holds 7,273 households with an average size of 2.53 persons. Family households account for 4,978 of those, and 4,692 residents are children under 18.

Racially, 13,569 residents identify as White, 2,513 as Black, and 354 as Asian. The Hispanic and Latino population stands at 1,452. Camden County as a whole has 54,768 residents, making St. Marys the county's largest city by a significant margin.

Economy & Employment

The labor force numbers 8,213, with 468 unemployed — an unemployment rate of approximately 5.7%. Median household income is $68,199, which sits comfortably above many rural Georgia benchmarks and reflects the stabilizing effect of federal military employment. Per capita income is $34,577. Despite those figures, 3,945 residents fall below the federal poverty line, a reminder that military-adjacent economies generate real economic disparity between those connected to the base and those who are not.

Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base is the area's largest single employer and the reason Camden County exists at the economic scale it does. Beyond the base, healthcare, retail, and hospitality serve a community that also draws tourism from Cumberland Island visitors.

Housing

St. Marys has 8,014 total housing units, of which 7,273 are occupied and 741 are vacant — a vacancy rate of about 9.2%. Owner-occupied units number 4,319; renter-occupied units total 2,954, meaning roughly 59% of occupied housing is owner-occupied.

Median home value is $240,400 and median gross rent is $1,178 per month. By Georgia coastal standards, these figures are moderate — the proximity to both Jacksonville and the Georgia barrier island amenities has pushed values higher than interior Georgia, but St. Marys has not experienced the same price extremes as Brunswick or the Golden Isles to the north.

Schools

Public schools in St. Marys serve students countywide through Camden County Schools. Schools operating in or near the city include:

Camden County High School is the county's only public high school, consolidating all secondary students into one large campus.

Getting Around

Of 7,708 workers commuting from St. Marys, 5,911 drive alone and 774 carpool. Public transit carries zero workers — this is a car-dependent community with no fixed-route transit service. A notable 719 residents work from home. Another 141 walk to work. Aggregate commute time across all workers totals 167,750 minutes, which works out to roughly 22 minutes per worker — reasonable given that Kings Bay and most employment centers are within Camden County.

Healthcare

Southeast Georgia Health System operates the Camden Campus in St. Marys, providing the county's primary hospital services. For higher-acuity care and specialty services, residents typically travel to Brunswick (about 35 miles north) or Jacksonville. A full directory of local healthcare providers registered with CMS can be searched through the NPI Registry for St. Marys, GA.

Library

The St. Marys Public Library serves city and county residents and can be reached at (912) 882-4800. It is part of the Marshes of Glynn Libraries regional system.

Parks & Recreation

Three National Park Service units are accessible from St. Marys, making it one of the more unusual NPS gateway communities in the Southeast:

Campgrounds within range include Hickory Hill Wilderness Campsite (13.1 miles), Sea Camp Campground (13.2 miles), and Stafford Beach Campground (13.2 miles) — all associated with Cumberland Island and accessible only by ferry. NPS visitor facilities include the Mainland Museum and Mainland Visitor Center (both approximately 10.5 miles) and the Sea Camp Ranger Station (12.8 miles).

Natural Hazards

Camden County has accumulated 15 FEMA disaster declarations since 2005, an unusually high number that reflects the county's direct exposure to Atlantic hurricane tracks. The record is not hypothetical risk — it is documented repeated impact:

Anyone buying or renting in St. Marys should understand that hurricane preparedness is not a contingency — it is an annual reality. Flood zone mapping, evacuation routes, and insurance coverage warrant serious attention before signing anything.

Government & Municipal Code

St. Marys municipal ordinances are published by Municode and available at library.municode.com/ga/st._marys. No separate municipal building code is on file — building standards default to state and county requirements.

Weather

Current forecasts and conditions for St. Marys are available through the National Weather Service. Active alerts can be monitored at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest weather observation station is Woodbine, 0.3 miles from the city.

References

The law belongs to the people. Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 590 U.S. (2020)