Salem County, NJ

County

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2024 Population

65,275

US Senator

Cory Booker

Democratic Party

US Senator

Andy Kim

Democratic Party

2024 Poverty Rate

12.7%

0.683% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$79,960

1.97% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$239,500

7.4% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

29,416

0.204% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Salem County, NJ reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

98.8% of the residents in Salem County, NJ are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Salem County, NJ are Salem Community College (249 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Salem County, NJ was $239,500, and the homeownership rate was 71%.

Most people in Salem County, NJ drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 26.5 minutes. The average car ownership in Salem County, NJ was 2 cars per household.

Salem County, NJ borders Kent County, DE, New Castle County, DE, Cumberland County, NJ, and Gloucester County, NJ.

United States New Jersey Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

Population & Diversity

Salem County, NJ is home to a population of 65.3k people, from which 98.8% are citizens. As of 2024, 3.05% of Salem County, NJ residents were born outside of the country (1.99k people).

In 2024, there were 5.31 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (45.8k people) in Salem County, NJ than any other race or ethnicity. There were 8.63k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 2.69k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.8%

2024 Citizenship

98.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.8% of Salem County, NJ residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Salem County, NJ was 98.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Salem County, NJ compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Salem County, NJ

White (Non-Hispanic)
45.8k ± 271
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
8.63k ± 332
Other (Hispanic)
2.69k ± 543

11.3%

Hispanic Population

7.36k people

11.3% of the people in Salem County, NJ are hispanic (7.36k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Salem County, NJ as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for New Jersey.

Most Common Origin

India
273,706 ± 12,653 people
Dominican Republic
205,965 ± 11,018 people
Mexico
107,667 ± 8,009 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of New Jersey was India, the natal country of 273,706 New Jersey residents, followed by Dominican Republic with 205,965 and Mexico with 107,667.

Foreign-Born Population

3.05%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.99k people

3.04%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.97k people

As of 2024, 3.05% of Salem County, NJ residents (1.99k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Salem County, NJ was 3.04%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Salem County, NJ compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,225 ± 175
Gulf War (2001-)
536 ± 189
Gulf War (1990s)
391 ± 113

Salem County, NJ has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.29 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Salem County, NJ.

Economy

The economy of Salem County, NJ employs 29.4k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Salem County, NJ were Health Care & Social Assistance (4,186 people), Educational Services (3,429 people), and Retail Trade (3,074 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($113,304), Information ($90,923), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($74,125).

Employment

Occupations

29.4k

2024 Value

± 1,124

−0.204%

1 Year decline

± 5.49%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Salem County, NJ declined at a rate of −0.204%, from 29.5k employees to 29.4k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Salem County, NJ, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (4,283 people), Management Occupations (2,982 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (2,633 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Salem County, NJ.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for New Jersey.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in New Jersey (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

29.4k

2024 Value

± 1,124

−0.204%

1 Year decline

± 5.49%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Salem County, NJ declined at a rate of −0.204%, from 29.5k employees to 29.4k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Salem County, NJ, are Health Care & Social Assistance (4,186 people), Educational Services (3,429 people), and Retail Trade (3,074 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Salem County, NJ, though some of these residents may live in Salem County, NJ and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$61,135

Median earning men ± $2,457

$42,396

Median earning women ± $3,331

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($96,301), Public Administration ($85,089), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($76,458).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($66,250), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($62,392), and Manufacturing ($61,823).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for New Jersey.

Y-Axis

2.27%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.24M people employed in New Jersey. This represents a 2.27% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 16.5%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in New Jersey.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

122
Other Services (except Public Administration)
90
Construction
72
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$266k
Utilities
$164k
Manufacturing
$115k
Health Care and Social Assistance

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

In 2023, universities in Salem County, NJ awarded 249 degrees. The student population of Salem County, NJ in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 363 male students and 731 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Salem County, NJ are White (135 and 54.9%), Black or African American (42 and 17.1%), Hispanic or Latino (29 and 11.8%), and Unknown (26 and 10.6%).

The largest universities in Salem County, NJ by number of degrees awarded are Salem Community College (249 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Salem County, NJ are Registered Nursing (59 and 23.7%), Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training (49 and 19.7%), and Other Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, & Treatment Professions (30 and 12%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 1,094 students enrolled in Salem County, NJ, 33.2% men and 66.8% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 489 records, of which 61.8% were women and 38.2% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
17 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
59 degrees awarded
Other Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, & Treatment Professions
30 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Salem County, NJ was General Business Administration & Management with 17 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Salem County, NJ according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Salem Community College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

249 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Salem Community College with 249 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 75 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Salem County, NJ, which is 0.431 times less than the 174 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 135 degrees mean that there were 3.21 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 42 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($7,140) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($2,000) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Salem County, NJ was $239,500 in 2024, which is 0.72 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $223,000 to $239,500, a 7.4% increase. The homeownership rate in Salem County, NJ is 71%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Salem County, NJ have an average commute time of 26.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Salem County, NJ is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 17.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Salem County, NJ. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.848%.

Housing

Property

$239,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$7,170

$17,635

Median Property Taxes

±$740

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Salem County, NJ the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Salem County, NJ compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

71%

Homeownership

2024

57.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 71% of the housing units in Salem County, NJ were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 71.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Salem County, NJ compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$79,960

Median Household Income

± $3,982

24.8k

Number of Households

± 1,012

In 2024, the median household income of the 24.8k households in Salem County, NJ grew to $79,960 from the previous year's value of $78,412.

The following chart displays the households in Salem County, NJ distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Salem County, NJ is from New Jersey.

0.486

2023 Wage GINI in New Jersey

0.489

2022 Wage GINI in New Jersey

In 2023, the income inequality in New Jersey was 0.486 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.709% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for New Jersey was higher than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly in New Jersey in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in New Jersey across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (80.2%)
Worked At Home (9.5%)
Carpooled (6.68%)

In 2024, 80.2% of workers in Salem County, NJ drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (9.5%) and those who carpooled to work (6.68%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

26.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Salem County, NJ have a longer commute time (26.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.2% of the workforce in Salem County, NJ have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Salem County, NJ compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Salem County, NJ distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Salem County, NJ have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 17.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Salem County, NJ. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.848%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

12.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Salem County, NJ (8.12k out of 64k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 35 - 44, followed by Females 6 - 11 and then Males 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Salem County, NJ is White, followed by Black and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 15% of the children was living in poverty in Salem County, NJ. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.7%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 266 in Salem County, NJ. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 4.83 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

95.3% of the population of Salem County, NJ has health coverage, with 47.3% on employee plans, 20.5% on Medicaid, 15.7% on Medicare, 10.8% on non-group plans, and 1.01% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Salem County, NJ see 4,065 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (4,065 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 3256 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 778 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.8% were men and 51.2% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

4,065 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Salem County, NJ

Primary care physicians in Salem County, NJ see an average of 4,065 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (4,065 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Salem County, NJ in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 23.4% under 18 years, 18.1% between 18 and 34 years, 39.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 18.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.8% were men and 51.2% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

4.66%

Uninsured

47.3%

Employer Coverage

20.5%

Medicaid

15.7%

Medicare

10.8%

Non-Group

1.01%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Salem County, NJ declined by 8.45% from 5.09% to 4.66%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Salem County, NJ changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 63.1 in Salem County, NJ.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Salem County, NJ.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 36.3% in Salem County, NJ.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Salem County, NJ.