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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.

Salem, NJ
Real Estate & Demographic Data






Salem profile


Living in Salem



Salem is a somewhat small coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of New Jersey. With a population of 5,324 people and five associated neighborhoods, Salem is the 305th largest community in New Jersey. Salem has an unusually large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic cities.

A relatively large number of people in Salem telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 11.74% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Salem is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

Despite the fact that it is a small city, Salem has quite a few people who take public transportation – mostly the bus - for their daily commute to work. This helps to fill a real need in the city for affordable transportation.

In Salem, just 11.29% of people have at least a bachelor's degree, which is quite a bit lower than the national average for cities and towns of 21.84%.

The per capita income in Salem in 2018 was $21,330, which is low income relative to New Jersey and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $85,320 for a family of four. However, Salem contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Salem also has one of the higher rates of people living in poverty in the nation, with 31.63% of its population below the federal poverty line.

Salem is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Salem home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Salem residents report their race to be Black or African-American, followed by White. Salem also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 10.26% of the city’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Salem include Italian, Irish, German, English, and Polish.

The most common language spoken in Salem is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Italian.