Salem, NC

Census Place

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2024 Population
2,377
US Senator
Thom Tillis
Republican Party
US Senator
Ted Budd
Republican Party
2024 Median Age
41.3
3.5% 1-year decrease
2024 Poverty Rate
19.1%
3.95% 1-year decrease
2024 Median Household Income
$68,988
3.5% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$159,100
0.126% 1-year decline
2024 Employed Population
970
9.36% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Salem, NC 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.

95.1% of the residents in Salem, NC are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Salem, NC was $159,100, and the homeownership rate was 71.8%.

Most people in Salem, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 20.6 minutes. The average car ownership in Salem, NC was 2 cars per household.

United StatesNorth CarolinaBurke County, NCHickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NCBurke & McDowell Counties PUMA, NC

Population & Diversity

Salem, NC is home to a population of 2.38k people, from which 95.1% are citizens. As of 2024, 4.92% of Salem, NC residents were born outside of the country (117 people).

In 2024, there were 7.79 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (1.92k people) in Salem, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 247 Other (Hispanic) and 91 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

95.1%
2024 Citizenship
94.4%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 95.1% of Salem, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Salem, NC was 94.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Salem, NC
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    1.92k ± 366
  2. Other (Hispanic)
    247 ± 233
  3. White (Hispanic)
    91 ± 99
14.6%
Hispanic Population
347 people

In 2024, there were 7.79 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (1.92k people) in Salem, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 247 Other (Hispanic) and 91 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

14.6% of the people in Salem, NC are hispanic (347 people).

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

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for North Carolina.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    224,963 ± 11,520 people
  2. India
    83,219 ± 7,055 people
  3. Honduras
    48,247 ± 5,380 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 224,963 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 83,219 and Honduras with 48,247.

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Foreign-Born Population

4.92%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
117 people
6.14%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
125 people

As of 2024, 4.92% of Salem, NC residents (117 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, NC was 6.14%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    186 ± 115
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    23 ± 41

Salem, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 8.09 times greater than any other conflict.

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

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Economy

The economy of Salem, NC employs 970 people. In 2024, the largest industries in Salem, NC were Manufacturing (378 people), Retail Trade (109 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (93 people), and the highest paying industries were Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($60,491), Public Administration ($48,571), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($48,281).

Employment

Occupations

970
2024 Value
± 224
9.36%
1 Year growth
± 30.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Salem, NC grew at a rate of 9.36%, from 887 employees to 970 employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Salem, NC, are Production Occupations (242 people), Material Moving Occupations (107 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (102 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Salem, NC.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in North Carolina (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.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

970
2024 Value
± 224
9.36%
1 Year growth
± 30.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Salem, NC grew at a rate of 9.36%, from 887 employees to 970 employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Salem, NC, are Manufacturing (378 people), Retail Trade (109 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (93 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Salem, NC, though some of these residents may live in Salem, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$48,113
Median earning men ± $10,207
$42,179
Median earning women ± $3,481

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Retail Trade ($58,287), Manufacturing ($50,938), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($48,281).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($61,250), Manufacturing ($44,375), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($42,533).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.
Y-Axis
3.04%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.86M people employed in North Carolina. This represents a 3.04% 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 10.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in North Carolina.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Salem, NC was $159,100 in 2024, which is 0.478 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $159,300 to $159,100, a 0.126% decrease. The homeownership rate in Salem, NC is 71.8%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Salem, NC have an average commute time of 20.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Salem, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$159,100
Median Property Value 2024
±$32,486
$750
Median Property Taxes
±$189

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, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

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Rent vs Own

71.8%
Homeownership
2024
62.5%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 71.8% of the housing units in Salem, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 74.2%.

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

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$68,988
Median Household Income
± $13,864
1.05k
Number of Households
± 235

In 2024, the median household income of the 1.05k households in Salem, NC grew to $68,988 from the previous year's value of $66,653.

The following chart displays the households in Salem, NC 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.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Salem, NC is from North Carolina.
0.467
2023 Wage GINI in North Carolina
0.47
2022 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2023, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.467 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.639% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in North Carolina in comparison to the national average.

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

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (77.3%)
  2. Carpooled (21.6%)
  3. Walked (1.05%)

In 2024, 77.3% of workers in Salem, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (21.6%) and those who walked to work (1.05%).

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.

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Commute Time

20.6 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Salem, NC have a shorter commute time (20.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0% of the workforce in Salem, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

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

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

19.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Salem, NC (450 out of 2.36k 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 Males < 5, followed by Males 35 - 44 and then Females 75+.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Salem, NC is White, followed by Other 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.

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Health

93.3% of the population of Salem, NC has health coverage, with 40.3% on employee plans, 16.6% on Medicaid, 19.4% on Medicare, 13.3% on non-group plans, and 3.66% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in North Carolina see 1,413 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,413 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1634 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 299 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.8% were men and 49.2% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 22.1% under 18 years, 17.7% between 18 and 34 years, 31.6% between 35 and 64 years, and 28.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.8% were men and 49.2% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

6.73%
Uninsured
40.3%
Employer Coverage
16.6%
Medicaid
19.4%
Medicare
13.3%
Non-Group
3.66%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Salem, NC declined by 24.3% from 8.89% to 6.73%.

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

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