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METRO AREA

Salem Metro

Salem, OR · 2 counties · 445,814 residents (2025 est.) · 1,921.764 sq mi
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The short version

Salem has roughly average household income, with a median household income of $78,938. Population has grown 26% since 2000. Median home value has roughly tripled since 2000, reaching $424,224. It ranks in the top 5% of US metro areas for household income.

At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 37.6
US median: 38.9
Less educated
27% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 77%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

438,906
+26%since 2000
from 347,214 in 2000
1990 – 2025
228 / sq mi
+26%since 2000
from 181 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
37.6
+10%since 2000
from 34.2 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:445,814 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 19902024
262K310K358K407K455K1990201020202024Salem
2024439K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.7%(25,130)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.5%(28,403)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.7%(29,341)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 197.1%(31,321)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.9%(30,440)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3413.8%(60,540)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4413.1%(57,510)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.6%(50,788)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6411.4%(49,993)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410.2%(44,672)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845%(21,810)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2%(8,958)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

$78,938
+7%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $40,673 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
$37,986
+105%since 2000
from $18,565 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
52.2%
+25.2 ptssince 2009
from 27.0% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
13.0%
−0.2 ptssince 2000
from 13.1% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
0.439
+5%since 2010
from 0.420 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information11.6%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade9.3%
US avg: 9.9%
Wholesale trade8.9%
US avg: 6.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing5%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction4.9%
US avg: 1.2%
Other services4.8%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance3.7%
US avg: 5.9%
Public administration3.2%
US avg: 4.8%
Professional, scientific, technical3.1%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing2.1%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.6%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

$424,224
+77%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $131,305 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
$1,391
+33%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $572 in 2000
US average: $1,442
62.8%
−1.1 ptssince 2000
from 63.9% in 2000
37.2% rent
4.4%
−1.6 ptssince 2009
from 6.0% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
24.7%
−8.3 ptssince 2009
from 32.9% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
51.1%
+3.3 ptssince 2009
from 47.8% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
5.4
+26%since 2009
from 4.3 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
71
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Salem on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic78.1%(271,274)
Black0.7%(2,503)
Hispanic / Latino15.6%(54,194)
Asian1.6%(5,576)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic63.4%(278,184)
Black1.1%(4,675)
Hispanic / Latino26.2%(115,154)
Asian1.9%(8,548)
Other7.4%(32,345)
65
+25%since 2009
from 52 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
30
−14%since 2020
from 34 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican22.9%(100,418)
Central American1.2%(5,166)
Guatemalan0.6%(2,576)
Salvadoran0.4%(1,665)
Spaniard0.4%(1,587)
South American0.4%(1,572)
Puerto Rican0.3%(1,483)
Cuban0.2%(715)
Colombian0.1%(616)
Peruvian0.1%(554)
Honduran0.1%(398)
Panamanian0.1%(261)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Dominican0.1%(258)
Venezuelan0%(166)
Chilean0%(149)
Nicaraguan0%(130)
Argentine0%(43)
Bolivian0%(18)
Uruguayan0%(10)
Asian origin
Chinese0.5%(2,101)
Filipino0.4%(1,601)
Asian Indian0.3%(1,312)
Vietnamese0.2%(995)
Korean0.2%(796)
Japanese0.1%(647)
Nepalese0%(201)
Cambodian0.1%(187)
Thai0%(138)
Laotian0%(93)
Kazakh0%(38)
+ 4 more asian origin groups with data
Mien0%(22)
Hmong0%(16)
Uzbek0%(9)
Pacific Islander origin
Native Hawaiian0.3%(1,171)
Marshallese0.3%(1,105)
Chamorro0.1%(454)
Samoan0.1%(325)
Chuukese0.1%(285)
Tongan0%(96)
Guamanian0%(36)
Fijian0%(23)
Ancestry
German16.5%(72,323)
English12.4%(54,335)
Irish8.9%(39,082)
American3.6%(15,883)
Norwegian2.9%(12,592)
Scottish2.7%(12,003)
Italian2.7%(11,765)
French2.3%(10,172)
Swedish1.7%(7,599)
Dutch1.5%(6,400)
Polish1.4%(6,123)
Russian1%(4,594)
+ 47 more ancestry groups with data
Scotch-Irish0.9%(3,805)
Danish0.7%(3,110)
Swiss0.6%(2,724)
Welsh0.5%(2,238)
Ukrainian0.5%(2,083)
British0.5%(2,053)
French Canadian0.4%(1,956)
Portuguese0.4%(1,677)
Czech0.3%(1,201)
Greek0.3%(1,201)
Canadian0.2%(1,065)
Austrian0.2%(1,040)
Finnish0.2%(915)
Hungarian0.2%(676)
Romanian0.1%(607)
Arab0.1%(546)
Lithuanian0.1%(521)
Belgian0.1%(437)
Slovak0.1%(255)
Croatian0.1%(250)
Iranian0.1%(233)
Brazilian0%(211)
Lebanese0%(185)
Somali0.1%(183)
Nigerian0%(182)
Ethiopian0%(177)
Serbian0%(146)
Australian0%(125)
Armenian0%(116)
Turkish0%(112)
Syrian0%(106)
Bulgarian0%(88)
Latvian0%(74)
Israeli0%(63)
Jamaican0%(46)
Jordanian0%(30)
Iraqi0%(28)
Egyptian0%(20)
Slovene0%(18)
Haitian0%(17)
Kenyan0%(15)
Ghanaian0%(14)
RANKED:Largest Mexican population · Largest German population · Largest English population · Largest Irish population · Largest American population
Section 05

Education

27.1%
+6.3 ptssince 2000
from 20.8% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
87.2%
+6.8 ptssince 2000
from 80.4% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
9.7%
+2.6 ptssince 2000
from 7.2% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

24.4 min
+51%since 2000
from 16.1 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
69.4%
−3.6 ptssince 2009
from 73.0% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
11.3%
−3.9 ptssince 2009
from 15.2% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
1.1%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 1.8% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
13.7%
+8.6 ptssince 2009
from 5.0% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
2.7%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 3.1% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
0.6%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.8% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
5.9%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 6.1% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

5.4%
−5.6 ptssince 2011
from 11.0% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
61.6%
−1.1 ptssince 2011
from 62.6% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
16.4%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 16.6% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
36.7%
−24.1 ptssince 2009
from 60.8% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

50.0%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 50.2% in 2009
50.0%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 49.8% in 2009
12.2%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 12.8% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
7.6%
−42.2 ptssince 2009
from 49.8% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
16.1%
+2.1 ptssince 2012
from 14.0% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
7.8%
−75.0 ptssince 2013
from 82.8% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
91.5%
+10.3 ptssince 2017
from 81.3% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
77.2%
Unchangedsince 2016
from 77.2% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
18.4%
+0.1 ptssince 2016
from 18.3% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married36.8%(65,154)
Married50.4%(89,356)
Widowed2.9%(5,121)
Divorced9.9%(17,490)
Women 15+
Never married29.8%(53,231)
Married48.1%(86,106)
Widowed8.1%(14,425)
Divorced14.1%(25,149)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
In this metro

Largest cities

The 30 most populous of 33 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.

What's inside

2 component counties

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Metros similar to Salem

Head to head

Compare Salem side by side

Frequently asked

How many people live in Salem, OR?

Salem, OR has about 438,906 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Salem, OR?

The typical household in Salem, OR earns about $78,938 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Salem, OR expensive?

In Salem, OR, the median home is worth about $424,224, and the typical rent is about $1,391 a month.

How educated are people in Salem, OR?

About 27.1% of adults age 25 and over in Salem, OR hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Salem, OR?

About 13.0% of people in Salem, OR live below the federal poverty line.

Has Salem, OR grown since 1990?

Yes, Salem, OR has grown since 1990. The population has added about 160,882 residents, a change of about 58 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →