Population 517 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
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Population and households in Salem
Household size in Salem
| Period | Salem | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.34 | 2.87 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 3.10 | 2.93 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 3.03 | 2.95 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 3.23 | 2.83 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.89 | −0.05 | −0.03 |
Salem is a place of big households: 3.23 people per home on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. Numbers like that usually point to plenty of families with kids. Household size has climbed from 2.34 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
| Period | Salem | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 40.6 | 34.7 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 40.4 | 35.4 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 39.9 | 36.1 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 35.9 | 36.7 | 40.1 |
| Change | −4.7 | +2.0 | +2.3 |
With a median age of just 35.9, Salem is far younger than the country as a whole (40.1), a population that tilts toward young families with children. Texas as a whole looks much the same.
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
| Period | Salem | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 22.1% | 13.7% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 17.7% | 13.7% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 2.1% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 12.1% | 12.9% | 11.6% |
| Change | −10.0 pts | −0.8 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head about one in eight households in Salem (12.1%), close to 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
| Period | Salem | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 20.1% | 35.2% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 17.6% | 37.3% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 12.1% | 38.0% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 6.9% | 37.4% | 34.8% |
| Change | −13.3 pts | +2.3 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 6.9% 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. More than a third of owners (36.3%) have paid off their mortgages, below 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
| Period | Salem | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 17.5% | 11.8% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 10.2% | 10.9% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 4.7% | 10.9% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 11.3% | 9.4% | 9.6% |
| Change | −6.2 pts | −2.4 pts | −1.8 pts |
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.
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
| Period | Salem | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1979 | 1983 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1988 | 1985 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1999 | 1987 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 2000 | 1992 | 1980 |
| Change | +21 | +8 | +6 |
Salem has newer housing than the country as a whole: the median home was built in 2000, versus 1980 nationally.
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
| Period | Salem | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $698 | $921 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $708 | $1,005 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $901 | $1,178 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,320 | $1,560 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$622 | +$639 | +$606 |
The median renter in Salem pays $1,320 a month for rent and utilities, below the national median of $1,571. Rent takes 33.8% 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
| Period | Salem | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 25.7% | 27.0% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 12.4% | 27.9% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 11.5% | 30.0% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 15.7% | 34.0% | 35.6% |
| Change | −10.0 pts | +7.1 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are relatively uncommon in Salem: 15.7% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's or higher, well below 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
| Period | Salem | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 86.7% | 80.7% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 81.9% | 82.0% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 85.1% | 83.6% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 85.2% | 85.8% | 89.3% |
| Change | −1.4 pts | +5.1 pts | +4.3 pts |
About one in seven adults in Salem never finished high school, more than nationally: 85.2% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% across the U.S. The picture is much the same across Texas.
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
| Period | Salem | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.9% | 7.0% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 7.6% | 7.7% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 8.3% | 5.1% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 7.7% | 5.3% | 5.4% |
| Change | −2.1 pts | −1.7 pts | −2.7 pts |
Finding work has been harder in Salem: 7.7% 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
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salem | 3.23 | 35.9 | 12.1% | 6.9% | 11.3% | 2000 | $1,320 | 15.7% | 85.2% | 7.7% |
| Wright City | 3.30 | 31.7 | 10.3% | 11.1% | 20.4% | 1993 | $983 | 19.1% | 85.6% | 7.2% |
| Price | 3.18 | 32.9 | 11.0% | 13.1% | 20.1% | 1990 | $1,117 | 17.9% | 79.3% | 5.9% |
| Turnertown | 3.26 | 30.8 | 8.8% | 13.9% | 24.8% | 1990 | $877 | 20.7% | 86.2% | 6.4% |
| Walnut Grove | 2.54 | 47.0 | 7.1% | 12.6% | 7.7% | 1993 | $1,742 | 14.2% | 87.8% | 4.1% |
| Sinclair City | 3.27 | 33.7 | 9.8% | 17.4% | 12.0% | 1987 | $1,012 | 19.1% | 87.9% | 7.4% |
| Troup | 2.92 | 38.4 | 11.6% | 19.5% | 11.5% | 1985 | $1,109 | 21.7% | 87.7% | 6.7% |
| Selman City | 3.11 | 35.2 | 6.6% | 12.1% | 18.2% | 1988 | $1,017 | 12.3% | 88.7% | 3.1% |
| Arp | 3.06 | 39.1 | 9.2% | 15.6% | 15.9% | 1988 | $977 | 15.8% | 84.1% | 8.0% |
| Griffin | 2.33 | 50.1 | 5.1% | 13.3% | 7.0% | 1994 | $1,985 | 13.3% | 89.8% | 2.5% |
| New London | 2.91 | 46.9 | 7.1% | 8.2% | 15.8% | 1969 | $925 | 12.3% | 85.0% | 6.3% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: The Landing, MO · Floral, KY · Futheyville, MS · Garbutt, NY · Georgeville, MN · Sykes, TN · Tabiona, UT · Talmoon, MN · Tanner, KY · Tannery, WV
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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