Salem, Massachusetts Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Salem, MA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
A
Health Above average
-
B
Income Around average
-
B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Salem | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 43,365 | 7,031,620 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 2369.5 | 666.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.57% | 0.53% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 37.7 | 39.0 | 37.3 |
| Households | 19,454 | 2,777,931 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Salem grew by 5.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 43,365 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Salem is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 24.8% of residents. That is 2.8 points above Massachusetts as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 9,950 22.9% +1.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 10,734 24.8% +2.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 8,644 19.9% -1.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 6,953 16.0% -1.3 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Massachusetts, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 54.5% of the people living in Salem and men 45.5%.
- Women 54.5% Massachusetts 51.2%
- Men 45.5% Massachusetts 48.8%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Salem
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Salem has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Salem | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $86,266 | $104,336 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.48% | 4.91% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.1% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Salem is about 17% lower than in Massachusetts.
Housing
| Metric | Salem | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $776,241 | $494,523 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,835 | $1,761 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 49.6% | 62.5% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Salem is about 35.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,835 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Salem spend about 44 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 183 hours, about 7.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Salem | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.9 | 25.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 43.8 | 51.1 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 183 | 213 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,664 | $6,603 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 21.0% | 18.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 17,486 | 14,741 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,251 | 2,164 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Salem is 22 minutes, shorter than the 26 minutes in Massachusetts.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Salem has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Salem | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 44.2% | 42.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.10 | 2.44 | 2.53 |
Health
Salem has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Salem | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 81.1 | 80.5 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 11.7% | 11.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 13.6% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Salem, MA Compared With Nearby Cities
Salem, MA is the 2nd largest of the 5 cities compared here, 43,365 residents against a local median of 35,343. Where Salem, MA breaks from the cities next to it is median home price, sitting 193% above the local median of $264,532 at $776,241.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $86,266 against a local median of $116,800, 26% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: commute runs ahead of the neighbourhood while median household income runs behind it, so Salem, MA is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The cities themselves spread $548,625 on median home price, so Salem, MA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Salem, MA has the highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salem, MA | 43,365 | $86,266 #4/5 | $776,241 #1/5 | 21.9 min #1/5 |
| Marblehead, MA | 20,308 | $185,173 | $449,926 | 30.8 min |
| Beverly, MA | 42,584 | $108,139 | $625,000 | 23.4 min |
| Danvers, MA | 28,103 | $125,461 | $76,374 | 22.7 min |
| Lynn, MA | 101,709 | $75,052 | $79,137 | 28.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Salem, Massachusetts.
What is the population of Salem, Massachusetts?
About 43,365 people live in Salem, Massachusetts, in 19,454 households of 2.1 people on average. The median age is 37.7, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Salem, Massachusetts urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Salem, Massachusetts has 2,370 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 27 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Salem, Massachusetts?
The median home costs 9.0 times the median household income ($776,241 against $86,266), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,835 a month takes about 26% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Salem, Massachusetts have a college degree?
44.2% of adults in Salem, Massachusetts hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 2), well above the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →