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CITY

Salem

Massachusetts · 45,381 residents (2025 est.) · 8.29 sq mi
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The short version

With 44,795 people, Salem is a city in Massachusetts. 50% of homes are owner-occupied. 48% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, against 36% nationally. Density works out to 5,401 people per square mile. Home values have roughly tripled since 2000, reaching $542,800. That trails the Massachusetts median by roughly 18%.

At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 39.3
US median: 38.9
More educated
48% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 58%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
44,795
+11%since 2000
from 40,407 in 2000
45,381 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
5,401 / sq mi
+8%since 2009
from 5,009 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
39.3
+8%since 2000
from 36.4 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
8.29 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
37K39K41K43K45K19902000201020202024Salem
202445K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 54%(1,806)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 94.5%(2,017)
US avg: 6%
10 to 144.8%(2,171)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 195.7%(2,555)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 247.1%(3,200)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3417.3%(7,741)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4414.2%(6,349)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.5%(5,138)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6413.6%(6,097)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410.3%(4,621)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.1%(2,282)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.8%(818)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$85,153
+6%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $44,033 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$50,339
+111%since 2000
from $23,857 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
55.3%
+18.4 ptssince 2009
from 36.9% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
12.1%
+2.5 ptssince 2000
from 9.7% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.452
+4%since 2010
from 0.436 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information11.6%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade7.3%
US avg: 9.9%
Other services5.5%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance5.3%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical5%
US avg: 5.1%
Wholesale trade4.4%
US avg: 6.9%
Public administration4%
US avg: 4.8%
Arts, entertainment, food2.5%
US avg: 1.9%
Transportation & warehousing1.2%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services0.3%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.1%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.1%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$542,800
+58%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $188,300 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,836
+43%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $705 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
49.7%
+0.6 ptssince 2000
from 49.1% in 2000
50.3% rent
Vacancy rate
5.7%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 5.6% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.13 people
−8%since 2009
from 2.32 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
32.6%
−6.6 ptssince 2009
from 39.2% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
52.1%
+2.1 ptssince 2009
from 50.1% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
6.4
+5%since 2009
from 6.0 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
58
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic82.4%(33,277)
Black2.4%(966)
Hispanic / Latino11.2%(4,541)
Asian2%(797)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic66.4%(29,764)
Black4.6%(2,050)
Hispanic / Latino20.7%(9,292)
Asian3.4%(1,502)
Other4.9%(2,187)
Diversity Score
64
+42%since 2009
from 45 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Dominican11.8%(5,291)
Puerto Rican4.1%(1,845)
Salvadoran0.8%(339)
Colombian0.6%(263)
Guatemalan0.5%(224)
Mexican0.5%(211)
Peruvian0.3%(142)
Honduran0.3%(137)
Venezuelan0.1%(66)
Cuban0.1%(64)
+ 6 more hispanic origin groups with data
Paraguayan0.1%(63)
Costa Rican0.1%(44)
Spaniard0.1%(38)
Chilean0.1%(27)
Argentine0%(19)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.7%(306)
Bangladeshi0.7%(293)
Filipino0.6%(256)
Chinese0.5%(238)
Korean0.3%(119)
Thai0.2%(89)
Cambodian0.1%(60)
Japanese0.1%(50)
Vietnamese0.1%(38)
Pakistani0.1%(23)
Pacific Islander origin
Ancestry
Irish21.9%(9,820)
Italian12.6%(5,658)
English9%(4,034)
German5.3%(2,360)
Polish4.4%(1,967)
French4.1%(1,845)
French Canadian3.6%(1,614)
Portuguese3.3%(1,469)
Scottish2.5%(1,122)
American1.9%(840)
Greek1.5%(679)
+ 39 more ancestry groups with data
Brazilian0.9%(386)
Swedish0.8%(362)
West Indian0.8%(347)
Norwegian0.7%(333)
Arab0.7%(311)
Russian0.7%(297)
Cape Verdean0.6%(277)
Ukrainian0.6%(270)
Canadian0.6%(265)
Lithuanian0.5%(229)
Welsh0.5%(226)
Scotch-Irish0.5%(202)
Haitian0.4%(196)
Dutch0.4%(187)
Danish0.4%(184)
Romanian0.3%(145)
British0.3%(134)
Iraqi0.3%(130)
Swiss0.3%(117)
Jamaican0.2%(108)
Armenian0.2%(84)
Nigerian0.2%(77)
Finnish0.2%(72)
Hungarian0.1%(61)
Czech0.1%(45)
Austrian0.1%(43)
Iranian0.1%(43)
Slovak0.1%(36)
Turkish0.1%(36)
Moroccan0.1%(33)
Belgian0%(14)
Croatian0%(11)
Syrian0%(10)
Barbadian0%(10)
Slovene0%(7)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
47.8%
+16.6 ptssince 2000
from 31.1% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
91.9%
+6.6 ptssince 2000
from 85.2% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
20.5%
+10.3 ptssince 2000
from 10.2% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
28.5 min
+38%since 2000
from 20.6 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
55.9%
−14.2 ptssince 2009
from 70.1% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
5.9%
−3.5 ptssince 2009
from 9.4% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
5.3%
−4.0 ptssince 2009
from 9.4% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
21.6%
+18.2 ptssince 2009
from 3.4% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
6.6%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 5.8% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.7%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.5% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
14.7%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 13.9% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.1%
−5.1 ptssince 2011
from 10.2% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
70.2%
−1.4 ptssince 2011
from 71.7% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
82.6%
+1.8 ptssince 2020
from 80.8% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
13.5%
+1.8 ptssince 2009
from 11.7% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
50.0%
+9.5 ptssince 2009
from 40.5% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
45.5%
−1.1 ptssince 2009
from 46.5% in 2009
Female
54.5%
+1.1 ptssince 2009
from 53.5% in 2009
Foreign born
16.3%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 16.4% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
3.6%
−5.7 ptssince 2009
from 9.4% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
11.6%
−1.0 ptssince 2012
from 12.6% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
3.1%
−1.5 ptssince 2013
from 4.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
90.4%
+7.4 ptssince 2017
from 83.0% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
93.1%
+2.6 ptssince 2020
from 90.5% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
90.4%
+3.6 ptssince 2020
from 86.8% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
76.2%
−1.1 ptssince 2016
from 77.3% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
13.7%
+0.4 ptssince 2016
from 13.3% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married44.2%(7,520)
Married44.4%(7,552)
Widowed1.8%(312)
Divorced9.6%(1,627)
Women 15+
Never married46.1%(10,037)
Married35.5%(7,727)
Widowed6.1%(1,331)
Divorced12.4%(2,695)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
3.1%
−1.5 ptssince 2013
from 4.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
60.0%
−0.7 ptssince 2020
from 60.7% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
12.6%
−0.7 ptssince 2020
from 13.3% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
17.7%
−0.6 ptssince 2020
from 18.3% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
26.0%
−1.2 ptssince 2020
from 27.2% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.1%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 1.2% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
70.4%
−1.1 ptssince 2020
from 71.5% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
39.1%
−1.1 ptssince 2020
from 40.2% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)14.6%(199)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)17.9%(244)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era51.4%(701)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War2.7%(37)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.9%(26)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 1,364 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

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Compare Salem to nearby cities

SALEM VS
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Home value$771,100+42%
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SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SALEM VS
Marblehead
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Home value$943,900+74%
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SALEM VS
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Home value$510,100−6%
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SALEM VS
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Home value$596,200+10%
Population55,953+23%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Salem, Massachusetts?

Salem, Massachusetts has about 44,795 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Salem, Massachusetts?

The typical household in Salem, Massachusetts earns about $85,153 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Salem, Massachusetts expensive?

In Salem, Massachusetts, the median home is worth about $542,800, and the typical rent is about $1,836 a month.

How educated are people in Salem, Massachusetts?

About 47.8% of adults age 25 and over in Salem, Massachusetts hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Salem, Massachusetts?

About 12.1% of people in Salem, Massachusetts live below the federal poverty line.

Has Salem, Massachusetts grown since 1990?

Yes, Salem, Massachusetts has grown since 1990. The population has added about 6,704 residents, a change of about 18 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

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