Salem, OR

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2022 Population

433,415

0.704% 1-year growth

US Senator

Ron Wyden

Democratic Party

US Senator

Jeff Merkley

Democratic Party

2022 Median Age

37.1

0.27% 1-year increase

2022 Poverty Rate

12.8%

2.74% 1-year decrease

2022 Median Household Income

$72,154

9.52% 1-year growth

2022 Median Property Value

$358,700

20.2% 1-year growth

2022 Employed Population

198,636

1.58% 1-year growth

About

In 2022, Salem, OR had a population of 433k people with a median age of 37.1 and a median household income of $72,154. Between 2021 and 2022 the population of Salem, OR grew from 430,384 to 433,415, a 0.704% increase and its median household income grew from $65,881 to $72,154, a 9.52% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Salem, OR are White (Non-Hispanic) (65.3%), Other (Hispanic) (8.6%), White (Hispanic) (8.21%), Two+ (Hispanic) (7.66%), and Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (4.47%).

None of the households in Salem, OR reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

92.7% of the residents in Salem, OR are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Salem, OR are Chemeketa Community College (1,673 degrees awarded in 2022), Western Oregon University (1,298 degrees), and Willamette University (609 degrees).

In 2022, the median property value in Salem, OR was $358,700, and the homeownership rate was 62.5%.

Most people in Salem, OR drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 24.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Salem, OR was 2 cars per household.

Salem, OR borders Albany, OR, Corvallis, OR, Newport, OR, Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA, and The Dalles, OR.

About the photo: Oregon State Capitol, Salem, OR

Photo by Max Rae

United States Oregon

Population & Diversity

Salem, OR is home to a population of 433k people, from which 92.7% are citizens. As of 2022, 11.6% of Salem, OR residents were born outside of the country (50.3k people).

In 2022, there were 7.59 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (283k people) in Salem, OR than any other race or ethnicity. There were 37.3k Other (Hispanic) and 35.6k White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

92.7%

2022 Citizenship

92.8%

2021 Citizenship

As of 2022, 92.7% of Salem, OR residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.5%. In 2021, the percentage of US citizens in Salem, OR was 92.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Salem, OR compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Salem, OR

White (Non-Hispanic)
283k ± 969
Other (Hispanic)
37.3k ± 2.84k
White (Hispanic)
35.6k ± 3.22k

25.3%

Hispanic Population

109k people

25.3% of the people in Salem, OR are hispanic (109k people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Salem, OR as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for Oregon.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
143,534 ± 9,142 people
Vietnam
22,912 ± 3,706 people
China
22,028 ± 3,634 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Oregon was Mexico, the natal country of 143,534 Oregon residents, followed by Vietnam with 22,912 and China with 22,028.

Foreign-Born Population

11.6%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

50.3k people

11.5%

2021 Foreign-Born Population

49.3k people

As of 2022, 11.6% of Salem, OR residents (50.3k people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.6%. In 2021, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Salem, OR was 11.5%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Salem, OR compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
8,239 ± 635
Gulf War (2001-)
4,974 ± 626
Gulf War (1990s)
3,349 ± 424

Salem, OR has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.66 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Salem, OR employs 199k people. The largest industries in Salem, OR are Health Care & Social Assistance (30,133 people), Retail Trade (23,698 people), and Manufacturing (19,321 people), and the highest paying industries are Management of Companies & Enterprises ($113,906), Utilities ($76,133), and Public Administration ($67,469).

Males in Oregon have an average income that is 1.28 times higher than the average income of females, which is $64,064. The income inequality in Oregon (measured using the Gini index) is 0.463, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

199k

2022 Value

± 3,881

1.58%

1 Year growth

± 2.72%

From 2021 to 2022, employment in Salem, OR grew at a rate of 1.58%, from 196k employees to 199k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Salem, OR, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (21,445 people), Sales & Related Occupations (19,001 people), and Management Occupations (18,494 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Salem, OR.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for false.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Oregon (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

199k

2022 Value

± 3,881

1.58%

1 Year growth

± 2.72%

From 2021 to 2022, employment in Salem, OR grew at a rate of 1.58%, from 196k employees to 199k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Salem, OR, are Health Care & Social Assistance (30,133 people), Retail Trade (23,698 people), and Manufacturing (19,321 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Salem, OR, though some of these residents may live in Salem, OR and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$46,514

Median earning men ± $1,112

$35,466

Median earning women ± $1,130

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2022 are Public Administration ($73,335), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($69,909), and Wholesale Trade ($56,957).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2022 are Public Administration ($62,109), Wholesale Trade ($49,276), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($48,805).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Oregon.

Y-Axis

2.87%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.97M people employed in Oregon. This represents a 2.87% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 13.1%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Oregon.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

1,175
Construction
640
Health Care and Social Assistance
586
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

Depending on the option selected, the visualization shows the number of employees or number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$1.56M
Health Care and Social Assistance
$848k
Construction
$724k
Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2020 presidential election, the popular vote in Oregon went to Joseph R Biden Jr. with 56.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (40.4%), followed by Jo Jorgensen (1.75%).

Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley are the senators currently representing the state of Oregon. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Oregon is currently represented by 6 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Salem, OR. Showing the available data for Oregon.

2020 Election Results

Joseph R Biden Jr. (56.5%)
Democratic Party
Donald J. Trump (40.4%)
Republican Party
Jo Jorgensen (1.75%)
Libertarian Party

In the 2020 presidential election, the popular vote in Oregon went to Joseph R Biden Jr. with 56.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (40.4%), followed by Jo Jorgensen (1.75%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Oregon for each registered party from 1976 to 2020.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Oregon

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Oregon.

Ron Wyden

Senator from Oregon

Assumed office on February 5, 1996
Elected to the seat following the resignation of Bob Packwood.

Jeff Merkley

Senator from Oregon

Assumed office on January 3, 2009

Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley are the senators currently representing Oregon.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Oregon over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Oregon

Oregon is currently represented by 6 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for Oregon have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

In 2022, universities in Salem, OR awarded 4,318 degrees. The student population of Salem, OR in 2022 is skewed towards women, with 6,188 male students and 8,634 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Salem, OR are White (2,303 and 54.7%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (945 and 22.4%), Unknown (503 and 11.9%), and Two or More Races (170 and 4.03%).

The largest universities in Salem, OR by number of degrees awarded are Chemeketa Community College (1,673 and 38.7%), Western Oregon University (1,298 and 30.1%), and Willamette University (609 and 14.1%).

The most popular majors in Salem, OR are Liberal Arts & Sciences (514 and 11.9%), General Studies (445 and 10.3%), and General Education (221 and 5.12%).

The median tuition costs in Salem, OR are $34,699 for private four year colleges, and $8,730 and $28,710 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2022 in Salem, OR, the percentage of applicants admitted was 73.1%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 19%. The number of students enrolled in 2022 was 14,822 (41.7% men and 58.3% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2022 there were 14,822 students enrolled in Salem, OR, 41.7% men and 58.3% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 8,071 records, of which 58.7% were women and 41.3% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Other Multidisciplinary Studies
101 degrees awarded
General Education
208 degrees awarded
General Psychology
172 degrees awarded

In 2022, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Salem, OR was Other Multidisciplinary Studies with 101 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Salem, OR according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Chemeketa Community College
1,673 degrees awarded
Western Oregon University
1,298 degrees awarded
Willamette University
609 degrees awarded

In 2022, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Chemeketa Community College with 1,673 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2022, 1,503 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Salem, OR, which is 0.534 times less than the 2,815 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2022 the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 2,303 degrees mean that there were 2.44 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 945 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($34,699) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2022.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,872) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2022.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,200) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Oregon.

Measure

In 2022, 0.928% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.891% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Oregon.

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were Some college (868k), High School or Equivalent (807k), and Bachelors Degree (693k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Salem, OR was $358,700 in 2022, which is 1.27 times larger than the national average of $281,900. Between 2021 and 2022 the median property value increased from $298,400 to $358,700, a 20.2% increase. The homeownership rate in Salem, OR is 62.5%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 64.8%.

People in Salem, OR have an average commute time of 24.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Salem, OR is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Salem, OR is $72,154. In 2022, the county with the highest Median Household Income in Salem, OR was Washington County, OR with a value of $100,121, followed by Clackamas County, OR and Multnomah County, OR, with respective values of $95,740 and $83,668.

Housing

Property

$358,700

Median Property Value 2022

±$2,891

$97,235

Median Property Taxes

±$2,178

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Salem, OR the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Salem, OR compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

62.5%

Homeownership

2022

67.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2022

In 2022, 62.5% of the housing units in Salem, OR were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 62%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Salem, OR compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

In 2022, the county with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Salem, OR was Washington County, OR with a value of $100,121, followed by Clackamas County, OR and Multnomah County, OR, with respective values of $95,740 and $83,668.

The following map shows all of the counties in Salem, OR colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$72,154

Median Household Income

± $1,422

156k

Number of Households

± 3,152

In 2022, the median household income of the 156k households in Salem, OR grew to $72,154 from the previous year's value of $65,881.

The following chart displays the households in Salem, OR distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Salem, OR is from Oregon.

0.463

2022 Wage GINI in Oregon

0.462

2021 Wage GINI in Oregon

In 2022, the income inequality in Oregon was 0.463 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.21% growth from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Oregon was lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Oregon in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Oregon across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2022

Drove Alone (72.9%)
Worked At Home (11.3%)
Carpooled (10.1%)

In 2022, 72.9% of workers in Salem, OR drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (11.3%) and those who carpooled to work (10.1%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

24.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Salem, OR have a shorter commute time (24.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.7 minutes). Additionally, 1.95% of the workforce in Salem, OR have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Salem, OR compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Salem, OR distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Salem, OR have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

12.8% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Salem, OR (53.8k out of 422k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Salem, OR is White, followed by Hispanic and Other.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

92% of the population of Salem, OR has health coverage, with 45.2% on employee plans, 21.9% on Medicaid, 12.5% on Medicare, 11.2% on non-group plans, and 1.19% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Oregon see 1062 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1062 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1194 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 158 patients per year.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Oregon.

1,062 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Oregon

Primary care physicians in Oregon see an average of 1,062 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,062 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Oregon in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2022, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.6% under 18 years, 22% between 18 and 34 years, 35.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 16.5% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.4% were men and 51.6% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

7.95%

Uninsured

45.2%

Employer Coverage

21.9%

Medicaid

12.5%

Medicare

11.2%

Non-Group

1.19%

Military or VA

Between 2021 and 2022, the percent of uninsured citizens in Salem, OR grew by 2.21% from 7.78% to 7.95%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Salem, OR changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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