Salem is a Republican stronghold. About 24% of voters here vote Democratic and 76% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Salem typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Salem, ~19% vote Democratic, ~60% Republican, and ~21% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Salem compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Salem leans more Republican than 47 of 127 neighbors.
Salem runs about 51 points more Republican than Pennsylvania as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Salem. The south side is the most Republican-leaning (R+68) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+43), a spread of about 25 points.
Why Salem leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Salem, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 87% of residents in Salem drive to work alone, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 74%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 80% of households in Salem are family households, above 89% of cities.
Homeownership and voter turnout
Places with homeowner-heavy households tend to turn out at a higher rate; Salem, PA sits above the national average on this measure.
Why turnout in Salem looks the way it does
Turnout in Salem sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Doubling Gap, PA R+62
- McCrea, PA R+62
- Entlerville, PA R+58
- Cisna Run, PA R+66
- Heberlig, PA R+61
- Newville, PA R+52
- Fort Robertson, PA R+63
- Blain, PA R+66
- Loysville, PA R+63
Cities with Similar Populations
- Lewbeach, NY R+18
- Mount Sterling, MO R+69
- Niles, NY R+30
- West Union, IN R+61
- Southport, IL R+37
- Bluffton, AR R+71
- Hauntown, IA R+47
- Glen Mawr, PA R+63
- Tenakee Springs, AK D+13
- Whelen Springs, AR R+65
All Local Stats
Home Services
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Elections, distributed by the Voting and Election Science Team. Demographic inputs come from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates and the 2020 Decennial Census). Health and environmental inputs come from the CDC (PLACES and the Environmental Justice Index). Land cover comes from the USGS and EPA. Election-day and lead-up weather come from PRISM 4km daily grids and the NOAA Global Historical Climatology Network. Mail-voting and election-administration patterns come from the MIT Election Lab's Survey of the Performance of American Elections. Block-group crime detail comes from CrimeGrade. Internet data and modeling support provided by ISPreports.org.
Modeling and analysis by the BestNeighborhood data science team. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.