Latest Census city estimates released May 14, 2026 · Population as of July 1, 2025 · Next city estimates scheduled for May 2027. Release schedule
Salem, Oregon population is 181,779 as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimate), ranking #147 nationally and #2 in Oregon. Cost of living runs 3.6% above the U.S. average (BEA RPP 2024); the four-person spending scenario corresponds to modeled gross income of $120,122/yr (TY2026 tax assumptions; partial scenario excluding unverified local income tax). This profile draws on 13 federal datasets covering population, housing, income, employment, climate, and risk.
181,779 people live in Salem as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025), the #147 largest U.S. city.
How big is Salem?
Salem covers 49.0 square miles of land and 0.6 square miles of water. Its population density is about 3,708 residents per square mile of land. Compare U.S. cities by land area →
Source detail: 2025 population
2025 population
Source agency
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division
Dataset
Census PEP
Vintage / period
Vintage 2025 (Jul 1, 2025)
Native geography
Census PEP subcounty place records for the included city universe.
Transformation
Copied from POPESTIMATE2025, joined by Census GEOID, and used for ranks, filters, and city pages.
Known limit: Annual estimate, not a decennial count; each new PEP vintage can revise the prior series.
Population grew 3.6% from the April 2020 base to mid-2025.
Vintage 2025 · annual estimates
Recent history (V2025 series, 2020 base → 2025).
2020 base: 175,516 → 2025: 181,779 (+3.6%)
Year
Population
Reference date
2020 base
175,516
April 1, 2020
2020
175,985
July 1, 2020
2021
178,280
July 1, 2021
2022
179,060
July 1, 2022
2023
179,544
July 1, 2023
2024
180,479
July 1, 2024
2025
181,779
July 1, 2025
Earlier history (2010–2019, prior Census vintage)
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2019 release — a separate, earlier methodology. They’re shown here as historical context only; the 2010 and 2019 values aren’t directly comparable to the 2020–2025 series above.
Population grew 12.3% from the July 2010 estimate to 2019 (V2019 — see seam note below).
Salem is the #147 largest of 19,483 U.S. cities and #2 in Oregon.
▸Show the analyst detail (9 rows)
Measure
Value
Note
2020 base
175,516
April 1, 2020 census base
5-yr change
+6,263
2020 base → 2025; within V2025
5-yr change %
+3.6%
within V2025 only
1-yr change
+1,300
2024 → 2025 estimate
1-yr change %
+0.7%
within V2025 only
Density
3,708
people per sq mi, land only
Land area
49
sq mi (2025 Gazetteer)
U.S. rank by population
#147
of 19,483 cities
State rank by population
#2
of 240 in Oregon
What is the median household income in Salem?
Same-period U.S. benchmarks: household income $80,734 ± $166; per-capita income $44,673 ± $122. Margins are at 90% confidence. Comparison badges describe point estimates; they are not significance tests.
Median household income is 6% below the U.S. median ($75,487 vs $80,734); 14.4% live in poverty, 1.9 points above the 12.5% U.S. estimate.
Median household income$75,487
US
Salem: $75,487 — 6% below the US median of $80,734.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS income data; censored rows retained in the distribution
Salem
$75,487
United States
$80,734
Income and poverty estimates for Salem from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates (window 2020–2024). Every figure is shown with its 90% margin of error (MOE). Cells where the ± margin exceeds half the estimate are flagged "low precision." See methodology §12.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median household income
$75,487-6.5% vs US
±$2,354
Per capita income
$38,066-14.8% vs US
±$1,227
Population in poverty
14.4% ± 1.2 percentage points
share of population for whom poverty status is determined
Median home value is 25% above the U.S. median ($416,900 vs $332,700); median rent is 1% below ($1,400 vs $1,413); the ratio of median home value to median household income is 5.5× versus 4.1× nationally; this compares two distributions and does not measure an individual household's housing burden.
Median home value$416,900
US
Salem: $416,900 — 25% above the US median of $332,700.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS home-value data; censored rows retained in the distribution
HUD 2-BR fair-market rent$1,560/mo
US
Salem: $1,560/mo — 45% above the US median of $1,077/mo.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with a HUD Fair Market Rent
Same-period U.S. benchmarks: home value $332,700 ± $236; gross rent $1,413 ± $2. Comparison badges describe estimates and do not establish statistical significance.
Poverty (Census SAIPE 2024, model-based), unemployment (BLS LAUS 2025 annual averages), and remote-work share (ACS 2020–2024) for Salem. Numbers are labeled at their native grain — place-grain when BLS publishes it, otherwise per-county. We do not compute population-weighted county averages. See methodology §13.
Measure
Value
Grain
Unemployment rate (annual avg)
5.0%
Salem (BLS sub-state LAUS)
Civilian labor force
92,819
2025 annual avg
Worked from home
15.8% ± 1.4 percentage points+4.7% vs US
share of workers 16+ working from home · U.S. share: 15.1% · ACS
County context — Salem spans 2 counties; all are listed (no weighted average):
County
Poverty rate
Median HH income
Unemployment
Marion County
11.9%
$80,192
5.0%
Polk County
10.6%
$94,166
4.9%
Top industries by private employment — NAICS supersectors rolled up from Salem's linked 2 counties in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW, 2025 annual averages). See methodology §11.
#
Industry (NAICS supersector)
Private employment
Avg weekly wage
#1
Health care and social assistance (62)
34,181
$1,243 / wk
#2
Retail trade (44-45)
18,280
$781 / wk
#3
Accommodation and food services (72)
14,290
$507 / wk
#4
Construction (23)
12,525
$1,469 / wk
#5
Manufacturing (31-33)
11,689
$1,189 / wk
What workers earn in the Salem, OR metro — top occupations by employment plus six curated benchmarks (registered nurse, software developer, elementary teacher, general manager, retail salesperson, truck driver). Wages are metro-area medians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). See methodology §25.
Home Health and Personal Care Aides is the largest tracked occupation in the Salem, OR metro (7,040 jobs, median $45,200/yr).
▸Show all 13 occupations
Occupation
Employment
Median annual
Median hourly
Home Health and Personal Care Aides
7,040
$45,200
$21.73
Fast Food and Counter Workers
5,880
$34,520
$16.60
Stockers and Order Fillers
3,950
$41,520
$19.96
Management Analysts
3,740
$99,090
$47.64
Cashiers
3,480
$34,340
$16.51
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive
3,220
$55,660
$26.76
Office Clerks, General
3,160
$50,650
$24.35
Retail Salespersons · benchmark
4,550
$35,760
$17.19
Registered Nurses · benchmark
4,010
$131,750
$63.34
General and Operations Managers · benchmark
3,490
$114,430
$55.02
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers · benchmark
2,170
$60,580
$29.12
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education · benchmark
All items run 3.6% above the U.S. average (RPP 103.6); rents run 10.3% above (RPP 110.3) — the metro's housing premium is the main driver.
Cost of living (RPP, all items)RPP 103.6
US
Salem's cost of living runs 3.6% above the U.S. average (RPP 103.6 vs 100).
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of metro/non-metro areas with a BEA price parity
BEA Regional Price Parity (all items)
RPP 103.6
+3.6% vs U.S. average · BEA 2024 · Salem, OR metro
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR
$1,560/mo
FY2026 · Salem, OR MSA
State income tax (top marginal rate)
9.90%
4 brackets · TY2026
Four-person monthly spending scenario
$10,010/mo
3BR rent + food + childcare + taxes + transport · federal sources; excludes unverified local income tax
One-person monthly spending scenario
$3,672/mo
1BR rent + food + taxes + transport · federal sources; excludes unverified local income tax
Local income tax
—
Unverified and excluded from the spending scenario; not a verified zero
Household budget figures are arithmetic floors using current federal sources at the grains documented in methodology. Not a recommended salary, not a poverty threshold, not a composite score.
12.8% ± 0.7 percentage points foreign-born (U.S. share 14.1%); Spanish is the most-spoken language at home other than English (17.3% of residents 5+).
A quick read on Salem's residents — nativity and languages spoken at home shown above, from the ACS 5-Year 2020–2024. The full demographic breakdown (age, race and ethnicity, household types, and educational attainment, each with its margin of error) lives on the demographics page.
These are K-12 public school districts. Higher education (colleges and universities) is not represented in this dataset.
Public school districts serving Salem, from the NCES EDGE Geographic Relationship Files (GRF25, 2024–25 school year boundaries). The join is many-to-many — large cities often span multiple districts, and one district often serves multiple cities. Sorted primary district first. See methodology §12 for the consolidated-city fallback and Milford CT special case.
Source: NCES EDGE GRF25 · school year 2024–25 · methodology →
What is the climate like in Salem?
Hottest month: August (83°F avg high). Coldest: December (35°F avg low). Annual precipitation: 42.1 in.
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) for Salem from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. See methodology §15 for the gridded vs. station source path.
Average monthly highs & lows · 30-year normal (NOAA 1991–2020). Every number on this chart is an average.
bar = avg daily high → avg daily lowprecip in inches below each barprecip in millimeters below each bar
Composite risk spans 72.8–95.5/100 across 2 counties; most-cited top hazard is Earthquake (in all 2).
Natural-hazard exposure for Salem from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index (FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0). NRI is an expected-annual-loss composite calibrated on 1996–2019 historical losses, published at the U.S. county grain. See methodology §17.
Salem spans 2 counties. We list each separately because hurricane, flood, and fire risk varies meaningfully across county lines — manufacturing a single “city-level” risk score would hide that signal.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index · FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0 · methodology →
How fast is home internet in Salem?
12 non-satellite ISPs serve the area; 72% of locations have gigabit-capable service per ISP filings.
Fixed broadband availability for Salem from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Collection (BDC), as of December 31, 2025. Every speed and provider count below is an ISP-reported advertised maximum — not measured throughput. Actual delivered speeds typically run 60–80% of advertised. See methodology §16.
Measure
Value
Note
Providers serving this city
12 + satellite
distinct ISPs, excluding satellite-only
Fiber providers
11
offer fiber-to-the-premises somewhere in the BDC
Units with ≥100/20 Mbps fixed
100.0%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Locations with ≥100 Mbps upload
72.1%
derived: max(fiber ≥100/20, gigabit). Fiber is symmetric; gigabit is ≥100 up by definition
Units with ≥1 Gbps fixed
72.1%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Total broadband-serviceable units
76,586
residential locations in the FCC Fabric (not households)
Source: FCC BDC · as of December 31, 2025 · methodology →
How much crime is reported in Salem?
In 2024, law enforcement reported 947 violent and 4,988 property offenses in the Salem jurisdiction — a violent-crime rate of 532.2 per 100,000, above the U.S. estimate of 359.1.
Reported offenses known to law enforcement from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program (CIUS Table 8), 2024. Figures describe the FBI agency jurisdiction: Salem — an FBI jurisdiction population of 177,936, versus the Census place population of 181,779. The rate per 100,000 is the FBI's own (count ÷ that jurisdiction population), never divided by the Census place figure. These are reported crimes under voluntary participation — not measured or victimization crime — and the FBI cautions against using them to rank or compare places. See methodology §31.
Offenses known, 2024
Count
Rate /100k
U.S. rate
Violent crime
947
532.2
359.1
Property crime
4,988
2,803.3
1,760.1
▸Offense breakdown and 3-year trend
Offense, 2024
Count
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter
8
Rape
66
Robbery
158
Aggravated assault
715
Burglary
787
Larceny-theft
3,498
Motor vehicle theft
703
Arson (12-month reporters only)
110
Year
Violent /100k
Property /100k
Jurisdiction pop.
2022
482.0
3,621.3
179,661
2023
447.6
3,202.9
178,276
2024
532.2
2,803.3
177,936
Only years the agency reported a complete 12 months appear; the FBI does not estimate missing agency-years, so a gap is a non-reporting year, not zero crime.
U.S. rate is the FBI national estimate (imputes non-reporting agencies); the city figures are reported-only. Source: FBI UCR CIUS Table 8 (2022–2024) · FBI agency jurisdiction: Salem · methodology → · FBI Crime Data Explorer →
In-state context.
Salem sits at state rank #2 among 240 cities in Oregon. Nearby in the state ranking:
Just above in the profiled set: Newport News, VA · #146 · 183,230 residents.
Just below in the profiled set: Aurora, IL · #148 · 181,505 residents.
Quick travel facts for Salem
Quick travel facts.
Elevation
177 ft · at city centroid, from USGS 3D Elevation Program
Nearest scheduled-service airport
Salem-Willamette Valley Airport/McNary Field(SLE) · 1 mi 2 km from city centroid
Best months to visit
May, Jun, Sep · months when the avg high sits in 65–80°F and precipitation is at or below the city's median monthly precip
Sources: elevation from USGS 3DEP · nearest airport from OurAirports CSV (OurAirports type=large/medium and scheduled_service=yes; not an FAA service classification) · best months derived from NOAA 1991-2020 normals · methodology →
Frequently asked questions about Salem.
How many people live in Salem, OR?
Salem has 181,779 residents as of July 1, 2025, making it the #147 largest city in the United States and #2 in Oregon. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025.
Is Salem growing or shrinking?
Salem has grown 3.6% since the April 2020 census baseline, adding 6,263 residents, including a 0.7% increase from 2024 to 2025. Source: Census PEP Vintage 2025.
Salem covers 49.0 square miles of land, with a population density of about 3,708 residents per square mile. Source: Census Gazetteer 2025.
What is the median household income in Salem?
$75,487, about 6% below the U.S. median. Source: ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.
SourceU.S. Census · PEP
VintageV2025
Reference2025-07-01
Place typeIncorporated place
GEOID4164900
Last build2026-09-30
Sources · provenance
Every listed dataset is used on this page.
The GEOID for Salem is 4164900. These are the official datasets used by this profile's main data modules; click "methodology" for inclusion rules and the V2019 ↔ V2025 seam, or "source" for the raw publisher page. The headline population value above includes a source-detail disclosure with publisher, dataset, vintage, native geography, transformation, and caveat.
