Salem, Virginia Population 2024

25,665

Salem Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Salem was:

  • White: 83.95%
  • Black or African American: 7.78%
  • Two or more races: 4.04%
  • Other race: 2.01%
  • Asian: 1.94%
  • Native American: 0.18%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.09%
Land Area (mi²)
14.5 sq mi
Density (mi²)
1,768.20/sq mi
Growth Since 2020
1.03% (262)
The current population of Salem, Virginia is 25,665 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates (released May 2024). The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 25,403.

Population by Race

Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White21,38983.95%
Black or African American1,9837.78%
Two or more races1,0284.04%
Other race5112.01%
Asian4951.94%
Native American470.18%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander240.09%

White

Black or African American

Two or more races

Other race

Asian

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Salem Population by Race

Salem Population Pyramid 2024

Salem Median Age

40.3

Total

39.1

Male

41.9

Female

Salem Adults

There are 20,643 adults, (4,965 of whom are seniors) in Salem.

Salem Age Dependency

62.5

Age Dependency Ratio

31.7

Old Age Dependency Ratio

30.8

Child Dependency Ratio

Salem Sex Ratio

Female13,34852.39%
Male12,12947.61%

Salem Population by Age

Salem Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All10,1402.2763.536.5
Married4,3532.888713
Non Family3,8491.2144.655.4
Female1,281340.959.1
Male6573.0163.336.7

2.81

Average Family Size

2.27

Average Household Size

63.5%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Salem Households and Families

Male

Female

Education Attained
Count
Percentage
9th to 12th Grade7014.06%
Associates Degree2,09212.13%
Bachelors Degree3,11318.04%
Graduate Degree2,26013.1%
High School Graduate4,92128.52%
Less Than 9th Grade2971.72%
Some College3,86822.42%

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Salem Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Salem Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

Race
Total
High School
Bachelors
White14,77014,0894,526
Black1,075950171
Hispanic581438190
2+ Races551511190
Asian349340292
Other Race344223116
Native American39170
Islander242424

The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 100%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among islander people with a rate of 100%.

Salem Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

Name
Average
Male
Female
Bachelors Degree$62,224$61,938$62,292
Graduate Degree$74,398$81,071$72,169
High School Graduate$36,475$40,521$34,643
Less Than 9th Grade$23,781$35,938$9,350
Overall$48,587$53,501$39,940
Some College$40,211$51,861$33,907

$48,587

Average Earnings

$53,501

Average Male

$39,940

Average Female

Salem Earnings by Educational Attainment

Salem Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Salem Language

95.21% of Salem residents speak only English, while 4.79% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 2.42% of the population.

Salem Language

Salem Poverty by Race

rate

Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
White19,0101,7088.98%
Black1,64638023.09%
Hispanic1,04731229.8%
Multiple98915115.27%
Other5028516.93%
Native2828100%
Asian456204.39%

10.86%

Overall Poverty Rate

7.83%

Male Poverty Rate

13.57%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Salem

The race most likely to be in poverty in Salem is Native, with 100% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Salem is Asian, with 4.39% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.14%. Among those working part-time, it was 11.1%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 18.25%.

Salem Poverty

rate

Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade50.82%
High School7.93%
Some College6.72%
Bachelors or Greater5.03%

Salem Poverty Rate by Education

rate

Rate
Poverty
Male Unemployed39.66%
Female Unemployed15%
Female Employed5.04%
Male Employed3.02%

Salem Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Salem Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

Name
Median
Mean
Families$87,508$107,800
Households$66,716$92,769
Married Families$103,931$-999,999,999
Non Families$40,338$61,105

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Salem Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

44.1%

Overall Marriage Rate

45.5%

Male Marriage Rate

42.8%

Female Marriage Rate

Salem Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Salem Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 55-64.

Salem Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Salem Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

1,474

Number of Veterans

1,281

Male Veterans

193

Female Veterans

War
Veterans
First Gulf War484
Vietnam385
Second Gulf War228
Korea59
World War II18

Salem Veterans by War

count

Age Group
Veterans
35 to 54505
55 to 64353
75+312
65 to 74266
18 to 3438

Salem Veterans by Age

count

Name
Veterans
% of Total
White1,2997.43%
Black1057.6%
2+ Races486.46%
Hispanic324.41%
Asian224.75%

Salem Veterans by Race

Salem Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

2.37%

Veteran Poverty Rate

23.59%

Veteran Disability Rate

Salem Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

60.9%

Labor Force Participation

58.5%

Employment Rate

3.4%

Unemployment Rate

Salem Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Salem Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Salem Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

65.58%

Born in Salem

95.73%

Native Born

4.27%

Foreign Born

2.56%

Non Citizen

1.71%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

95.73% of Salem residents were born in the United States, with 65.58% having been born in Virginia. 2.56% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.

Salem Place of Birth

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change
Year
Population
Growth
Change
202925,994660.25%
202825,928660.26%
202725,862650.25%
202625,797660.26%
202525,731660.26%
202425,665650.25%
202325,600-100-0.39%
202225,7002841.12%
202125,416130.05%
202025,4031940.77%
201925,209-62-0.25%
201825,271-91-0.36%
201725,362940.37%
201625,268-110-0.43%
201525,378-63-0.25%
201425,4411110.44%
201325,3301400.56%
201225,1901600.64%
201125,0301330.53%
201024,89700%
200024,7479914.17%
199023,756-202-0.84%
198023,9581,9768.99%
197021,9825,92436.89%
196016,0589,235135.35%
19506,8231,08618.93%
19405,73790418.7%
19304,83367416.21%
19204,1593108.05%
19103,84943712.81%
19003,4121334.06%
18903,279-22,715-87.39%

Salem Population by Year