Population 1,046 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in New Salem
Household size in New Salem
| Period | New Salem | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.45 | 2.53 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.40 | 2.57 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.30 | 2.57 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.43 | 2.52 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.03 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Households in New Salem run small, averaging 2.43 people against 2.65 nationally, which usually means more singles and couples and fewer children.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in New Salem
| Period | New Salem | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 45.9 | 39.4 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 46.0 | 40.1 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 54.5 | 41.0 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 54.8 | 41.4 | 40.1 |
| Change | +9.0 | +2.0 | +2.3 |
With a median age of 54.8, New Salem is noticeably older than the country as a whole (40.1), an age mix that tilts toward empty nesters and retirees. The median age has climbed from 45.9 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in New Salem
| Period | New Salem | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.9% | 11.0% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 12.0% | 11.0% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 6.3% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 9.4% | 10.6% | 11.6% |
| Change | +1.5 pts | −0.4 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head nearly one in ten households in New Salem (9.4%), below the national share of 11.6%.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in New Salem
Renters in New Salem
| Period | New Salem | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 13.7% | 36.0% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 10.5% | 37.7% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 13.6% | 37.6% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 10.7% | 37.5% | 34.8% |
| Change | −3.0 pts | +1.5 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 10.7% of households in New Salem rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. About four in ten owners (40.2%) have paid off their mortgages, about the same as nationally.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in New Salem
| Period | New Salem | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.4% | 9.5% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 7.7% | 9.1% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 13.2% | 8.9% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 13.3% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Change | +2.9 pts | −1.6 pts | −1.8 pts |
More homes sit empty in New Salem than nationally: 13.3%, against 9.6%. The count includes vacation homes and homes between owners or tenants, not just abandoned ones.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in New Salem
| Period | New Salem | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1973 | 1958 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1975 | 1959 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1975 | 1961 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1974 | 1963 | 1980 |
| Change | +0 | +5 | +6 |
Housing in New Salem leans a little older: the median home dates to 1974, against 1980 nationally. Even so, homes here are newer than in Massachusetts as a whole, where the median home dates to 1963.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in New Salem
| Period | New Salem | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $1,362 | $1,085 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $1,495 | $1,157 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,118 | $1,398 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,265 | $1,860 | $1,571 |
| Change | −$98 | +$775 | +$606 |
Rent in New Salem runs $1,265 a month at the median, utilities included, below the U.S. median of $1,571. Rent takes 45.0% of the typical renter's income, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in New Salem
Bachelor's degrees in New Salem
| Period | New Salem | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 41.4% | 38.5% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 42.1% | 40.1% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 45.3% | 43.6% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 40.1% | 47.2% | 35.6% |
| Change | −1.3 pts | +8.7 pts | +7.2 pts |
About four in ten adults 25 and older in New Salem (40.1%) have a bachelor's degree or higher, a bit above the national share of 35.6%. Even so, the share is lower than in Massachusetts as a whole (47.2%).
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in New Salem
| Period | New Salem | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 92.2% | 88.4% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 96.0% | 89.3% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 94.7% | 90.5% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 96.2% | 91.0% | 89.3% |
| Change | +4.0 pts | +2.6 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion is high in New Salem: 96.2% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in New Salem
| Period | New Salem | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 5.3% | 7.5% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 9.4% | 8.7% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 5.3% | 5.0% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 2.5% | 5.2% | 5.4% |
| Change | −2.8 pts | −2.3 pts | −2.7 pts |
The job market in New Salem has been strong: just 2.5% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well below the national rate of 5.4%. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
New Salem compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Salem | 2.43 | 54.8 | 9.4% | 10.7% | 13.3% | 1974 | $1,265 | 40.1% | 96.2% | 2.5% |
| Wendell Depot | 2.33 | 47.4 | 11.0% | 13.5% | 9.0% | 1981 | $1,224 | 50.5% | 96.3% | 7.9% |
| Wendell | 2.34 | 46.7 | 10.5% | 13.8% | 8.2% | 1979 | $1,234 | 48.6% | 96.2% | 7.5% |
| South Athol | 2.47 | 53.5 | 6.1% | 7.3% | 11.8% | 1973 | $1,212 | 31.1% | 93.6% | 2.8% |
| Shutesbury | 2.52 | 50.2 | 7.8% | 8.9% | 11.2% | 1979 | $1,706 | 69.5% | 98.0% | 6.1% |
| Orange | 2.58 | 43.9 | 13.7% | 29.7% | 11.8% | 1963 | $843 | 16.0% | 92.5% | 8.1% |
| Petersham | 2.42 | 56.3 | 5.7% | 6.0% | 10.7% | 1963 | $1,652 | 42.4% | 97.7% | 4.1% |
| Leverett | 2.30 | 51.8 | 3.5% | 16.8% | 11.5% | 1974 | $1,456 | 68.4% | 94.8% | 8.7% |
| Athol | 2.57 | 40.9 | 13.2% | 27.5% | 9.4% | 1955 | $1,179 | 20.9% | 87.6% | 7.7% |
| Pelham | 2.50 | 46.5 | 6.6% | 17.3% | 9.6% | 1964 | $1,355 | 66.3% | 98.4% | 6.4% |
| Erving | 2.28 | 44.2 | 6.6% | 17.6% | 7.1% | 1958 | $1,212 | 26.9% | 94.6% | 3.0% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Big Creek, WV · Benkelman, NE · Pembroke, NH · Pumpkin Center, IN · Powell, MO · Potrero, CA · Pippa Passes, KY · Phenix, VA · Penfield, OH · Quasqueton, IA
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up New Salem. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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