Salem, OR

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2024 Population
438,906
US Senator
Ron Wyden
Democratic Party
US Senator
Jeff Merkley
Democratic Party
2024 Median Age
37.5
0.536% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
13%
0.104% 1-year increase
2024 Median Household Income
$78,900
3.8% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$424,100
8.8% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
203,389
1.66% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Salem, OR 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.

92.6% of the residents in Salem, OR are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Salem, OR are Chemeketa Community College (1,439 degrees awarded in 2023), Western Oregon University (1,187 degrees), and Willamette University (594 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Salem, OR was $424,100, and the homeownership rate was 62.8%.

Most people in Salem, OR drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 24.3 minutes. The average car ownership in Salem, OR was 2 cars per household.

About the photo: Oregon State Capitol, Salem, OR
Photo by Max Rae
United StatesOregon

Population & Diversity

Salem, OR is home to a population of 439k people, from which 92.6% are citizens. As of 2024, 12% of Salem, OR residents were born outside of the country (52.8k people).

In 2024, there were 6.7 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (278k people) in Salem, OR than any other race or ethnicity. There were 41.5k Other (Hispanic) and 37.1k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

92.6%
2024 Citizenship
92.6%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 92.6% of Salem, OR residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Salem, OR was 92.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Salem, OR 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, OR
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    278k ± 984
  2. Other (Hispanic)
    41.5k ± 2.85k
  3. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    37.1k ± 3.01k
26.2%
Hispanic Population
115k people

In 2024, there were 6.7 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (278k people) in Salem, OR than any other race or ethnicity. There were 41.5k Other (Hispanic) and 37.1k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

26.2% of the people in Salem, OR are hispanic (115k people).

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

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for Oregon.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    141,836 ± 9,090 people
  2. Vietnam
    22,252 ± 3,653 people
  3. China
    21,575 ± 3,597 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Oregon was Mexico, the natal country of 141,836 Oregon residents, followed by Vietnam with 22,252 and China with 21,575.

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Foreign-Born Population

12%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
52.8k people
11.8%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
51.1k people

As of 2024, 12% of Salem, OR residents (52.8k 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, OR was 11.8%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    8,022 ± 662
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    5,977 ± 642
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    4,044 ± 555

Salem, OR has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.34 times greater than any other conflict.

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

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Economy

The economy of Salem, OR employs 203k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Salem, OR were Health Care & Social Assistance (30,379 people), Retail Trade (23,551 people), and Manufacturing (18,841 people), and the highest paying industries were Management of Companies & Enterprises ($80,357), Utilities ($76,310), and Public Administration ($73,159).

Employment

Occupations

203k
2024 Value
± 3,964
1.66%
1 Year growth
± 2.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Salem, OR grew at a rate of 1.66%, from 200k employees to 203k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Salem, OR, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (21,813 people), Management Occupations (21,066 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (18,155 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Salem, OR.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Oregon (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

203k
2024 Value
± 3,964
1.66%
1 Year growth
± 2.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Salem, OR grew at a rate of 1.66%, from 200k employees to 203k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Salem, OR, are Health Care & Social Assistance (30,379 people), Retail Trade (23,551 people), and Manufacturing (18,841 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Salem, OR, though some of these residents may live in Salem, OR and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$51,121
Median earning men ± $884
$40,090
Median earning women ± $1,334

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($78,718), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($76,399), and Wholesale Trade ($62,125).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($68,081), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($54,521), and Construction ($50,905).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Oregon.
Y-Axis
2.87%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.97M people employed in Oregon. This represents a 2.87% 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 13.1%.

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

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Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments
  1. 1,175
    Construction
  2. 640
    Health Care and Social Assistance
  3. 586
    Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

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.

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Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll
  1. $1.56M
    Health Care and Social Assistance
  2. $848k
    Construction
  3. $724k
    Retail Trade

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

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Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Oregon went to Kamala Harris with 55.3% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (41%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.5%).

Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley are the senators currently representing the state of Oregon. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Oregon is currently represented by 6 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Voting results are not available for Salem, OR. Showing the available data for Oregon.
2024 Election Results
  1. Kamala Harris (55.3%)
    Democratic Party
  2. Donald J. Trump (41%)
    Republican Party
  3. Robert Kennedy (1.5%)
    Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Oregon went to Kamala Harris with 55.3% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (41%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.5%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Oregon for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Oregon

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Oregon.
Ron Wyden
Senator from Oregon3
Assumed office on February 5, 1996
Elected to the seat following the resignation of Bob Packwood.
Jeff Merkley
Senator from Oregon2
Assumed office on January 3, 2009

Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley are the senators currently representing Oregon.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Oregon over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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Education

In 2023, universities in Salem, OR awarded 3,888 degrees. The student population of Salem, OR in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 6,107 male students and 8,701 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Salem, OR are White (2,111 and 55%), Hispanic or Latino (930 and 24.2%), Unknown (393 and 10.2%), and Two or More Races (159 and 4.14%).

The largest universities in Salem, OR by number of degrees awarded are Chemeketa Community College (1,439 and 37%), Western Oregon University (1,187 and 30.5%), and Willamette University (594 and 15.3%).

The most popular majors in Salem, OR are Liberal Arts & Sciences (513 and 13.2%), General Studies (246 and 6.33%), and General Psychology (162 and 4.17%).

The median tuition costs in Salem, OR are $36,088 for private four year colleges, and $6,773 and $20,475 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University
Measure

In 2023 in Salem, OR, the percentage of applicants admitted was 87.4%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 19.6%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 14,808 (41.2% men and 58.8% women).

The line chart  shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

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Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 14,808 students enrolled in Salem, OR, 41.2% men and 58.8% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 8,192 records, of which 58.7% were women and 41.3% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. Kinesiology & Exercise Science
    87 degrees awarded
  2. General Psychology
    162 degrees awarded
  3. General Education
    144 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Salem, OR was Kinesiology & Exercise Science with 87 degrees awarded.

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

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Universities

Gender
Race
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
  1. Chemeketa Community College
    1,439 degrees awarded
  2. Western Oregon University
    1,187 degrees awarded
  3. Willamette University
    594 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Chemeketa Community College with 1,439 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 1,397 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Salem, OR, which is 0.561 times less than the 2,491 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 2,111 degrees mean that there were 2.27 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 930 degrees awarded.

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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.

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Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($36,088) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,845) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,050) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Salem, OR was $424,100 in 2024, which is 1.27 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $389,800 to $424,100, a 8.8% increase. The homeownership rate in Salem, OR is 62.8%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Salem, OR have an average commute time of 24.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Salem, OR is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$424,100
Median Property Value 2024
±$3,900
$100,397
Median Property Taxes
±$2,245

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, OR the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

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Rent vs Own

62.8%
Homeownership
2024
67.1%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 62.8% of the housing units in Salem, OR were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 62.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Salem, OR 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.
$78,900
Median Household Income
± $1,874
160k
Number of Households
± 3,243

In 2024, the median household income of the 160k households in Salem, OR grew to $78,900 from the previous year's value of $76,010.

The following chart displays the households in Salem, OR 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, OR is from Oregon.
0.461
2023 Wage GINI in Oregon
0.463
2022 Wage GINI in Oregon

In 2023, the income inequality in Oregon was 0.461 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.437% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Oregon was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Oregon in comparison to the national average.

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

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (69.4%)
  2. Worked At Home (13.6%)
  3. Carpooled (11.3%)

In 2024, 69.4% of workers in Salem, OR drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (13.6%) and those who carpooled to work (11.3%).

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

24.3 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Salem, OR have a shorter commute time (24.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2% of the workforce in Salem, OR have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Salem, OR 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, OR distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Salem, OR have 2 cars.

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

13% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Salem, OR (55.3k out of 427k 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 18 - 24, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Salem, OR is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

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

92.2% of the population of Salem, OR has health coverage, with 43.7% on employee plans, 22.6% on Medicaid, 12.9% on Medicare, 11.7% on non-group plans, and 1.24% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Oregon see 1,064 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,064 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1177 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 137 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.5% were men and 50.5% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Oregon.
1,064 to 1
Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Oregon

Primary care physicians in Oregon see an average of 1,064 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,064 patients).

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

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Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.1% under 18 years, 21.8% between 18 and 34 years, 36% between 35 and 64 years, and 17.1% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.5% were men and 50.5% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

7.85%
Uninsured
43.7%
Employer Coverage
22.6%
Medicaid
12.9%
Medicare
11.7%
Non-Group
1.24%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Salem, OR declined by 1.83% from 7.99% to 7.85%.

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

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