Salem, Oregon
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Salem.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Salem compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 176,666City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $71,900Incorporated place (ACS)8% below U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 112ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)12% above U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $382,400City limits (ACS)26% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,323City limits (ACS)Near U.S. avg ($1,348)U.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 4.7%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 22 min12% below U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 4011% below U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 381annualized per 100k · citywide37% below U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 3689.2annualized per 100k · citywide20% above U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 81°F6.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 36°F2.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 40.1 in22% above U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 21718% below U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Salem with another city
Wet winters west of the Cascades and dry east-side climates split the state. Expect summer highs near 81°F and winter lows around 36°F. Average one-way commute time is about 22 minutes, and Walk Score estimates land around 40/100. Labor-market readings near 4.7% unemployment are neither boom nor bust by national standards. Violent-offense rates around 381 per 100k are moderate for a large U.S. city, with meaningful variation by neighborhood.
Relocators eyeing Salem, Oregon will find roughly 176,666 residents within city limits. With median income around $71,900 and a cost index of 112, the market reads close to the national housing-cost baseline. Budget for median rents around $1,323 a month before you lock a neighborhood.
Salem is compact enough that a single wrong neighborhood choice is easy to feel day to day — visit at commute hour before signing. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Salem with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Salem city, 1600000US4164900)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN410470000000003 (Marion County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00024232 SALEM MCNARY FLD)
Last updated 2026-07-28