Salem, MS Demographics

Population 912 · Census ACS 2020–24

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Salem, MS map of median age by neighborhood
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Population and households in Salem

Household size in Salem

Household size, people per household
PeriodSalemMississippiU.S.
2006–102.712.662.68
2010–142.752.672.73
2015–193.282.642.71
2020–243.122.572.65
Change+0.41−0.09−0.03
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Households in Salem are large by national standards, averaging 3.12 people against 2.65 for the U.S. That usually means more families with children at home. Since 2006–10, household size has climbed from 2.71, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.

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 Salem

Median age, years
PeriodSalemMississippiU.S.
2006–1039.836.737.7
2010–1435.737.538.6
2015–1931.638.839.6
2020–2433.539.440.1
Change−6.3+2.6+2.3
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With a median age of just 33.5, Salem is far younger than the country as a whole (40.1), a population that tilts toward young families with children.

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 Salem

Single-parent households, % of households
PeriodSalemMississippiU.S.
2006–1013.3%15.8%12.3%
2010–1412.6%15.8%12.3%
2015–1917.4%14.7%11.6%
2020–2415.2%14.6%11.6%
Change+1.9 pts−1.1 pts−0.6 pts
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Single parents head just over one in seven households in Salem (15.2%), well above the national share of 11.6%. The picture is much the same across Mississippi.

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 Salem

Renters in Salem

Renters, % of occupied homes
PeriodSalemMississippiU.S.
2006–1016.8%29.2%33.3%
2010–148.4%31.1%35.6%
2015–1911.9%31.8%36.0%
2020–2416.9%30.0%34.8%
Change+0.1 pts+0.8 pts+1.5 pts
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Only 16.9% of households in Salem rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. Nearly six in ten owners (57.2%) have paid off their mortgages, well above the national share of 39.8%.

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 Salem

Vacant homes, % of all homes
PeriodSalemMississippiU.S.
2006–1018.5%13.6%11.4%
2010–1425.1%14.6%11.4%
2015–1931.9%16.1%11.1%
2020–2411.3%14.1%9.6%
Change−7.2 pts+0.5 pts−1.8 pts
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Vacancy runs a little high in Salem: 11.3% of homes are empty, against 9.6% nationally. The count includes vacation homes and homes between owners or tenants, not just abandoned ones. Still, the rate is lower than in Mississippi as a whole (14.1%).

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 Salem

Age of homes, median year built
PeriodSalemMississippiU.S.
2006–10197819811974
2010–14198519831975
2015–19198819841977
2020–24198019871980
Change+2+5+6
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Homes in Salem are the same age as the nation's housing: the median home was built in 1980. Homes here are older than in Mississippi as a whole, where the median home dates to 1987.

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 Salem

Rent, per month
PeriodSalemMississippiU.S.
2006–10$517$703$965
2010–14$665$758$1,040
2015–19$581$819$1,213
2020–24$1,089$1,018$1,571
Change+$571+$315+$606
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A typical rental in Salem costs $1,089 a month with utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Even so, rents here are higher than in Mississippi overall ($1,018). The typical renter here spends 14.2% of household income on rent, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally.

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 Salem

Bachelor's degrees in Salem

Bachelor's degrees, % of adults 25+
PeriodSalemMississippiU.S.
2006–1022.4%20.8%28.4%
2010–1416.9%21.4%29.6%
2015–1912.9%22.8%32.1%
2020–2414.9%25.8%35.6%
Change−7.6 pts+5.0 pts+7.2 pts
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Fewer adults in Salem have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 14.9%, against 35.6% nationally.

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 Salem

High school graduates, % of adults 25+
PeriodSalemMississippiU.S.
2006–1078.5%80.5%84.9%
2010–1481.2%82.5%86.1%
2015–1986.5%84.8%87.7%
2020–2473.9%87.3%89.3%
Change−4.6 pts+6.9 pts+4.3 pts
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Just over a quarter of adults in Salem never finished high school, well above the national share: only 73.9% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% nationally.

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 Salem

Unemployment, % of the labor force
PeriodSalemMississippiU.S.
2006–107.3%9.5%8.1%
2010–144.8%11.0%9.4%
2015–194.0%7.6%5.6%
2020–2410.0%5.8%5.4%
Change+2.6 pts−3.6 pts−2.7 pts
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Finding work has been harder in Salem: 10.0% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well above 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).

Salem compared with nearby cities

CityHousehold sizeMedian ageSingle parentsRentersVacant homesMedian year builtMedian rentBachelor's degreeHigh school diplomaUnemployment
Salem3.1233.515.2%16.9%11.3%1980$1,08914.9%73.9%10.0%
Mesa2.3139.112.7%9.9%26.2%1981$1,17913.8%82.6%1.5%
Enon2.7739.815.4%18.9%27.5%1992$93714.2%80.6%10.9%
Sartinsville3.3831.414.8%19.9%24.7%1985$71611.5%84.6%9.1%
Tylertown2.5342.712.9%21.3%24.3%1981$84313.5%81.5%5.2%
Kokomo3.0235.414.1%19.1%20.8%1982$78811.7%79.5%11.3%
Knoxo2.3440.311.6%38.4%11.4%1996$9436.2%64.9%15.2%
Jayess2.9738.911.9%14.8%19.8%1986$87012.1%82.8%7.2%
Holmesville2.8634.122.6%29.1%26.0%1995$9019.9%80.9%5.6%
Barto1.8654.84.4%12.5%41.6%1989$5987.2%73.0%2.2%
White Bluff2.2950.14.0%31.1%25.9%1991$62116.2%97.3%0.1%

All figures 2020–24.

Cities with similar populations: Clarksburg, TN · Stony Creek, NY · Deer Lake, PA · Daws, NY · Davis, MS · Danbury, IA · Daisy, GA · Cunningham, KS · Coteau Holmes, LA · Cory, CO

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 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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