São José: population and official figures
In depth
- Economy, jobs and prices in São José: São José's gross domestic product was R$ 15.6 billion in 2023 at current prices, 0.14% of Brazil's GDP and the 107th largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities.
- Health in São José: Health ministry records show 129 deaths of babies under one year old among residents of São José in 2020-2024 against 15,592 live births, 8.3 infant deaths per 1,000 births; the 17th lowest of 320 major Brazilian cities (Brazil: 12.2).
- Education in São José: At the 2022 census 98.2% of children aged 6 to 14 in São José were attending school, the 109th lowest of 320 major Brazilian cities and the 1184th lowest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities (Brazil: 98.3%; Santa Catarina state: 98.6%).
- Poverty and living standards in São José: At the 2022 census, 11.4% of residents of São José lived in households with an income per person of no more than half the minimum wage (R$ 606 a month), the 19th lowest of 320 major Brazilian cities and the 295th lowest of Brazil's 5,509 municipalities (Brazil: 31.8%).
- Government budget and revenue in São José: The city government of São José reported R$ 1.50 billion of budget revenue for 2025 in its annual accounts to the National Treasury, after R$ 127.0 million of deductions, R$ 85.9 million of them for Fundeb, the school funding pool; that is R$ 5,219 per resident, the 117th lowest of 319 major Brazilian cities.
What is the population of São José?
IBGE, Brazil's national statistics institute, estimated the population of São José at 301,218 on 1 July 2026, the 98th largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities, the 5th largest of the 295 municipalities in Santa Catarina state. The 2022 census counted 270,299 residents.
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copyIs the population of São José growing?
Between the 2010 and 2022 censuses the population of São José grew by 60,495, from 209,804 (2010 count adjusted to 2022 boundaries) to 270,299, an average of +2.13% a year; the 36th fastest of 320 major Brazilian cities (Brazil: +0.52% a year).
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copyHow has the population of São José changed since the 2022 census?
IBGE's estimates put São José's population 30,919 above the 2022 census count by July 2026 (+11.4%), against +5.5% for Brazil as a whole; the estimate was 295,658 in 2025 and 289,949 in 2024.
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copyHow big is São José?
São José covers 150.5 km² and had 1,796.0 residents per km² at the 2022 census, the 67th most densely populated of 320 major Brazilian cities (Brazil: 23.86 per km²).
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copyIs São José a metropolis?
IBGE's urban hierarchy (REGIC) ranks São José (as part of the Florianópolis/SC urban area) as a metropolis, level 1C on a scale whose top level is 1A, and São José is part of the Região Metropolitana de Florianópolis.
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copyWho runs São José?
In Brazil, cities and towns are run by municipalities: Mayor (prefeito) and council (câmara de vereadores) directly elected for four years; mayors can serve two terms in a row. Primary schools, basic health care, urban planning, local transport, waste; each has its own organic law.
How local power works in Brazil
Cities of a similar size in Brazil
- São Vicente 338,253
- Pelotas 336,150
- Barueri 336,015
- Palmas 333,154
- Camaçari 323,676
- Taubaté 323,380
- Várzea Grande 323,172
- Suzano 321,600
- Parauapebas 312,427
- Juazeiro do Norte 307,928
- Itajaí 302,247
- Limeira 301,780
- Foz do Iguaçu 299,112
- Petrópolis 294,954
- Guarujá 294,780
- Marabá 293,344
Up a level: all cities in Brazil · Brazil · government and power
Sources
- Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE): Estatísticas do Cadastro Central de Empresas (CEMPRE) 2022-2024: local units, companies and organisations, employed persons, salaried employees, wages and average monthly salary (SIDRA table 9509; Brazil, states and the 320 listed municipalities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 6512e29fcaa1…)
- Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE): Censo Demográfico 2022: resident population, area of the territorial unit and population density, Brazil, states and municipalities (SIDRA table 4714), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 6d558ffe6763…)
- Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE): Censo Demográfico 2022: resident population, absolute change from the 2010 population (adjusted to 2022 boundaries) and geometric annual growth rate (SIDRA table 4709), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 5459a5d6df45…)
- Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE): Produto Interno Bruto dos Municípios, database 2010-2023 (text format, with layout): GDP, GDP per person and gross value added by sector for every municipality, with IBGE urban hierarchy, metropolitan region, Legal Amazon and semi-arid classifications, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1179047b0bcc…)
- Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE): Estimativas da População: estimated resident population on 1 July, 2021 and 2024-2026, Brazil, states and municipalities (SIDRA table 6579), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 8bc8863bc78a…)
- Ministry of Health, DATASUS (Departamento de Informação e Informática do SUS): TabNet, Sistema de Informações sobre Nascidos Vivos (SINASC): live births by mother's municipality of residence and year, 2020-2024 (final data), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 d3eb8c12756b…)
- Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE): Censo Demográfico 2022: residents of permanent private households by class of monthly household income per person in minimum wages, Brazil, states and municipalities (SIDRA table 10296; API response in codes-only format), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 4896427475f0…)
- Ministry of Health, DATASUS (Departamento de Informação e Informática do SUS): TabNet, Sistema de Informações sobre Mortalidade (SIM): infant deaths (under 1 year) by municipality of residence and year, 2020-2024 (final data), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 9c69e0471200…)
- Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira (Inep), Ministry of Education: Ideb 2025, primary school late years (6th-9th grade): pass rates, Saeb scores and Ideb 2005-2025 by municipality and school network (spreadsheet from the zip download), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0a54ddd30107…)
- Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira (Inep), Ministry of Education: Ideb 2025, primary school early years (1st-5th grade): pass rates, Saeb scores and Ideb 2005-2025 by municipality and school network (spreadsheet from the zip download), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 e132cd0ab831…)
- Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE): Censo Demográfico 2022: mean and median monthly household income per person of residents of permanent private households, Brazil, states and municipalities (SIDRA table 10295), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 34331c7982e4…)
- Ministry of Health, DATASUS (Departamento de Informação e Informática do SUS): TabNet, SINASC: live births by mother's municipality of residence and number of prenatal appointments, 2024, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 9206d88e6676…)
- Secretaria do Tesouro Nacional (National Treasury), SICONFI: SICONFI API, Declaração de Contas Anuais (DCA) Annex I-C, budget revenue realised, 2025 (2024 where 2025 was not filed), for the 320 listed municipalities (gzip of request URL -> exact API response), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 8e46cf2e4cc4…)
- Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE): Censo Demográfico 2022, Agregados por Municípios: household characteristics part 3, residents of occupied permanent private households by sewage destination, water source and rubbish disposal, every municipality, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1b96b1e32794…)
- Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE): Censo Demográfico 2022: gross school attendance rate by age group (0-3, 4-5, 6-14 and 15-17), Brazil, states and municipalities (SIDRA table 10056), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 4966e323affd…)
- Secretaria do Tesouro Nacional (National Treasury), SICONFI: SICONFI API, Declaração de Contas Anuais (DCA) Annex I-E, budget spending by function, 2025 (2024 where 2025 was not filed), for the 320 listed municipalities (gzip of request URL -> exact API response), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 2d3d576cb339…)
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