Salem, TN Demographics

Population 662 · Census ACS 2020–24

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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
Salem, TN map of median age by neighborhood
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Population and households in Salem

Household size in Salem

Household size, people per household
PeriodSalemTennesseeU.S.
2006–102.512.532.68
2010–142.662.572.73
2015–192.472.572.71
2020–242.782.532.65
Change+0.28+0.00−0.03
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The typical household in Salem holds 2.78 people, slightly more than the U.S. average of 2.65. Household size has climbed from 2.51 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.

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
PeriodSalemTennesseeU.S.
2006–1041.338.337.7
2010–1437.339.238.6
2015–1947.339.939.6
2020–2440.039.940.1
Change−1.3+1.6+2.3
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At 40.0, the median age in Salem is close to the national median of 40.1, so its age mix looks much like the country's.

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
PeriodSalemTennesseeU.S.
2006–1013.3%12.2%12.3%
2010–1412.0%12.0%12.3%
2015–199.1%11.6%11.6%
2020–246.7%11.8%11.6%
Change−6.6 pts−0.4 pts−0.6 pts
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Single parents head only 6.7% of households in Salem, well 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 Salem

Renters in Salem

Renters, % of occupied homes
PeriodSalemTennesseeU.S.
2006–1014.3%30.4%33.3%
2010–1411.4%32.9%35.6%
2015–199.4%33.7%36.0%
2020–2412.6%33.1%34.8%
Change−1.7 pts+2.6 pts+1.5 pts
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Salem is overwhelmingly a place of homeowners: only 12.6% of households rent, far below the national share of 34.8%. Owner-heavy areas like this tend to see less turnover. Among homeowners, 41.2% have no mortgage at all, 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 Salem

Vacant homes, % of all homes
PeriodSalemTennesseeU.S.
2006–103.6%11.5%11.4%
2010–1412.8%11.8%11.4%
2015–199.6%11.8%11.1%
2020–242.5%10.1%9.6%
Change−1.1 pts−1.4 pts−1.8 pts
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Only 2.5% of homes in Salem are vacant, far below the national rate of 9.6%, which usually means strong demand for housing.

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
PeriodSalemTennesseeU.S.
2006–10198719811974
2010–14198319821975
2015–19198419831977
2020–24199619861980
Change+9+6+6
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Much of the housing in Salem is relatively new: half of its homes were built after 1996, compared with 1980 for the U.S. as a whole.

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
PeriodSalemTennesseeU.S.
2006–10$605$761$965
2010–14$1,058$837$1,040
2015–19$722$961$1,213
2020–24$1,187$1,286$1,571
Change+$582+$526+$606
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The median renter in Salem pays $1,187 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Rent takes 36.4% 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 Salem

Bachelor's degrees in Salem

Bachelor's degrees, % of adults 25+
PeriodSalemTennesseeU.S.
2006–1020.7%23.9%28.4%
2010–1420.1%25.3%29.6%
2015–1921.9%27.9%32.1%
2020–2441.1%31.4%35.6%
Change+20.4 pts+7.5 pts+7.2 pts
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About four in ten adults 25 and older in Salem (41.1%) have a bachelor's degree or higher, a bit above the national share of 35.6%.

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+
PeriodSalemTennesseeU.S.
2006–1083.3%83.3%84.9%
2010–1494.2%85.4%86.1%
2015–1995.1%87.6%87.7%
2020–2496.4%89.9%89.3%
Change+13.1 pts+6.6 pts+4.3 pts
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High school completion is high in Salem: 96.4% 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 Salem

Unemployment, % of the labor force
PeriodSalemTennesseeU.S.
2006–106.2%8.6%8.1%
2010–148.0%9.6%9.4%
2015–193.2%5.4%5.6%
2020–246.1%4.8%5.4%
Change−0.1 pts−3.8 pts−2.7 pts
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Jobs have been a little harder to find in Salem than nationally: unemployment was 6.1%, against 5.4%. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current 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
Salem2.7840.06.7%12.6%2.5%1996$1,18741.1%96.4%6.1%
Liverwort3.0536.818.2%23.8%6.4%1994$91822.2%91.4%7.2%
Round Pond2.6848.411.8%0.0%15.8%1991$90415.6%100.0%7.1%
Southside3.0037.518.4%21.9%6.9%1994$92322.5%91.3%7.1%
Cunningham2.7845.69.1%10.9%11.5%1992$89315.7%93.0%9.7%
Henrietta2.8038.823.5%8.1%5.6%1984$1,47222.0%92.0%1.0%
Clarksville2.6233.314.5%39.1%7.2%1997$1,44531.9%94.4%5.3%
Louise2.6847.76.0%11.9%13.8%1992$88017.3%90.2%13.5%
Port Royal3.1933.05.2%12.2%5.0%2004$2,11249.0%96.5%2.0%
Palmyra2.4245.46.9%10.0%15.8%1996$1,02226.3%92.5%7.7%
Adams2.9335.64.9%11.6%5.4%1999$2,10240.5%95.6%2.8%

All figures 2020–24.

Cities with similar populations: Earleton, FL · Wasco, OR · Fristoe, MO · Friendly, WV · Fort Blackmore, VA · Foose, MO · Fontanet, IN · Weatherby, MO · Fernwood, ID · Felt, ID

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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