The population of South Gardiner City is about 1,007 people and consists of 389 households. The average household size is 2.57 people. The city is popular with tourists, due to its old architecture and culture. It was recently accredited as a Main Street America community, and it is included in the Augusta, Maine micropolitan New England City and Town Area. It is home to a diverse collection of businesses, institutions, and events.
The population of South Gardiner City consists of two main areas. Uptown contains 64 percent of the city's housing units, and the Brunswick Avenue corridor contains some commercial services. The South Gardiner subarea contains fewer housing units, but offers some commercial services. The Downtown and Uptown subareas are the most populous in the city, with the Uptown and South Gardiner subareas holding the remainder.
The City is home to one soup kitchen and no homeless shelters. The majority of Gardiner's homeless population resides in low-income senior citizens who have little or no money for food. The Uptown area contains many low-income neighborhoods, including Dresden and Lincoln streets. The South Gardiner area contains all rural roads east of Brunswick Avenue. In addition, Gardiner has very few sidewalks.
Among the residents of Gardiner, 63 percent of the adults are employed. The rest are not in the labor force. Four percent of the population is unemployed, which makes the town less affluent than other nearby towns. The affluent town of Bath has a higher percentage of college graduates than Gardiner. This is because most residents live in South Gardiner and commute to their jobs.