What is the population of Salem city?

Salem city has 1,812 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #84 of 439 in West Virginia.

What is the median household income in Salem city?

Median household income in Salem city is $43,690 a year, 44.4% below the national figure of $78,538.

How much does it cost to rent or buy in Salem city?

Median gross rent is $570 a month and the median home value is $77,200, so rent absorbs about 15.7% of median household income.

Is Salem city affordable compared with the rest of the US?

Homes cost about 1.8× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Salem city is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 15.7% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.

Aerial view of a dense city center, illustrating the US cities ZIP code directory

West Virginia · Census place 71380

Salem, WV population, income and ZIP codes

Quick answer

The population of the city of Salem, West Virginia (Salem, WV — Census place “Salem city”) is 1,812 residents, ranking #84 of 439 places in West Virginia. Median household income is $43,690, the median home is worth $77,200 and median gross rent runs $570 a month. Looking for the Salem West Virginia ZIP code list? 1 ZIP codes serve Salem, WV: 26426.

Population: 1,812Salem city residents
Median household income: $43,690Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
Median home value: $77,200Owner-occupied units
Median gross rent: $570Rent plus utilities, monthly
Median age: 32.4 yrsAll residents
Homeownership rate: 71.2%Owner-occupied households

Salem ZIP codes (West Virginia)

Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Salem.

The Salem WV ZIP code list below covers 1 ZIP code. Open any one for its population, income, housing and rent profile.

26426

What the numbers mean in Salem city

Housing cost measured against local earnings.

A household earning the Salem city median would spend about 15.7% of gross income on the median rent. The 30% mark is the federal threshold for cost burden, so anything above it signals a stretched rental market. The median home costs 1.8× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 16.6% of residents and 71.2% of households own their home.

Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year

Salem city, WV in context

How this area compares with national benchmarks.

Salem city is a small town in West Virginia, with 1,812 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #84 of 439 ranked by population — larger than 81% of them. The median age here is 32.4 years against 39.1 nationally, a distinctly younger profile, typical of places with students, military posts or a fast-growing family population. At this population the ACS sample is small, so the margin of error around every dollar figure below is wide — treat the numbers as a band, not a point, and expect them to move between annual releases without the place itself changing.

Households in Salem city earn a median of $43,690 a year, 44.4% below the national figure of $78,538 and 18% below the $52,974 median for the 148 West Virginia cities we cover. Household income here is measured before tax and pooled across everyone at the address, which is why it reads higher than typical individual earnings in the same area. Poverty reaches 16.6% of residents here, above the 12.4% national rate.

The typical owner-occupied home in Salem city is valued at $77,200, 74.6% below the national figure and 39% below the $127,200 peer median, while median gross rent runs $570 a month, 59.5% below the national figure, or roughly $6,840 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 15.7% of gross pay toward that rent against the federal 30% cost-burden threshold, so renting here is cheap relative to what people here earn. The home-price-to-income ratio works out to 1.8×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so purchase prices are unusually low against local pay, the pattern in places where supply is plentiful and wage growth has been flat. 71.2% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, so the market leans toward owners. Rent is reported gross — contract rent plus tenant-paid utilities — which is why it runs above the advertised price on a listing for the same unit.

All values below were released by the Census for this exact geography, with no gap-filling on our side. Small-area estimates still carry wider margins of error than state or national figures, so check the linked ACS tables before relying on them for lending, appraisal or legal work.

Compare with nearby places

Places of similar size in West Virginia.

More West Virginia coverage.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about this area.

What is the population of Salem city?: Salem city has 1,812 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #84 of 439 in West Virginia.
What is the median household income in Salem city?: Median household income in Salem city is $43,690 a year, 44.4% below the national figure of $78,538.
How much does it cost to rent or buy in Salem city?: Median gross rent is $570 a month and the median home value is $77,200, so rent absorbs about 15.7% of median household income.
Is Salem city affordable compared with the rest of the US?: Homes cost about 1.8× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Salem city is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 15.7% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
How current is this Salem city data?: All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. At this population the ACS sample is small, so the margin of error around every dollar figure below is wide — treat the numbers as a band, not a point, and expect them to move between annual releases without the place itself changing.