Demographics of Salem city, Virginia

Salem city, Virginia had 25,816 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +418 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the American Community Survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Salem city, in four figures

25,816
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; +1.6%
Change since July 2020: +418 people.; 40.0 ±1.0
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $66,725 ±$6,350
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. Each year's change is births less deaths, net moves from abroad and net moves from elsewhere in the country, with the Bureau's small residual. The 2020 row's components run 3 months, from the April census to July 1.

Salem city, Virginia's population grew 1.6% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Salem city, Virginia's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

Source: The Census Bureau

About this chart

The figures

Salem city, Virginia's population grew 1.6% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Salem city, Virginia's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	25,398	100.0	100.0
2021	25,423	100.1	100.2
2022	25,682	101.1	100.7
2023	25,575	100.7	101.6
2024	25,737	101.3	102.5
2025	25,816	101.6	103.1

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Population of Salem city, Virginia on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	25,398	+57	−10	0	+63
2021	25,423	+25	−106	+21	+88
2022	25,682	+259	−82	+57	+288
2023	25,575	−107	−84	+71	−90
2024	25,737	+162	−108	+135	+134
2025	25,816	+79	−114	+126	+66

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 40.0 ±1.0: for men 39.0 ±0.9 and for women 41.9 ±1.6. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Salem city by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	Virginia	United States
Under 5	1,266 ±170	4.9% ±0.7	5.6% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	3,723 ±355	14.5% ±1.4	16.1% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	3,513 ±377	13.7% ±1.5	9.3% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	5,842 ±375	22.8% ±1.5	27.1% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	6,258 ±409	24.4% ±1.6	25.3% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	5,016 ±443	19.6% ±1.7	16.7% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $66,725 ±$6,350, and income per person $39,370 ±$2,196, in 2024 dollars. The median is $93,170 ±$458 in Virginia and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Salem city by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	Virginia	United States
Under $25,000	1,404 ±254	13.7% ±2.5	12.2% ±0.2	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	2,284 ±370	22.3% ±3.6	14.5% ±0.2	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	1,955 ±338	19.1% ±3.3	14.3% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	1,132 ±239	11.0% ±2.3	12.1% ±0.1	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	1,781 ±308	17.4% ±3.0	18.1% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	847 ±201	8.3% ±2.0	11.1% ±0.1	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	853 ±202	8.3% ±2.0	17.7% ±0.2	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Salem city by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	Virginia	United States
All ages	2,391 ±587	10.2% ±2.5	9.9% ±0.2	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	797 ±258	16.2% ±5.0	12.3% ±0.3	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	983 ±265	8.2% ±2.2	9.4% ±0.2	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	611 ±178	9.5% ±2.7	8.9% ±0.2	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Salem city, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Salem city	Virginia	United States
Housing units	11,112 ±34	3,684,756 ±486	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	92.3% ±2.0	91.3% ±0.2	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	7.7% ±2.0	8.7% ±0.2	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	62.8% ±2.4	67.3% ±0.4	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	37.2% ±2.9	32.7% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$258,600 ±$12,481	$383,700 ±$1,024	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$1,133 ±$59	$1,579 ±$8	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1971 ±2	1984 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Salem city by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	Virginia	United States
Hispanic or Latino	1,227 ±0	4.8% ±<0.1	11.0% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	20,895 ±140	81.6% ±0.5	58.4% ±<0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	2,217 ±168	8.7% ±0.7	18.3% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	503 ±76	2.0% ±0.3	6.9% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	21 to 99	0.1% to 0.4%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 25	0% to 0.1%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	52 to 352	0.2% to 1.4%	0.6% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	514 ±175	2.0% ±0.7	4.7% ±0.1	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Salem city by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	Virginia	United States
Born in the state	17,004 ±657	66.4% ±2.6	48.8% ±0.1	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	7,257 ±662	28.3% ±2.6	35.9% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	102 to 318	0.4% to 1.2%	2.1% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	1,147 ±269	4.5% ±1.1	13.1% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	394 ±149	1.5% ±0.6	7.4% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	753 ±268	2.9% ±1.0	5.7% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Salem city among the counties of Virginia

71st of 133 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the Virginia page.

Counties of Virginia near Salem city in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Winchester city	28,272	+1.0%
New Kent County	28,022	+21.2%
Wythe County	27,983	−1.2%
Staunton city	26,801	+3.8%
Fairfax city	26,772	+10.7%
Salem city	25,816	+1.6%
Russell County	25,332	−1.7%
Waynesboro city	23,951	+7.5%
Page County	23,762	+0.3%
Hopewell city	23,261	+1.1%
Rockbridge County	22,663	> −0.1%

Elsewhere on the site

Rankings this appears in

No. 36 Counties in Virginia by foreign-born share
No. 39 Counties in Virginia by per capita income
No. 40 Counties in Virginia by median rent
No. 41 Counties in Virginia by poverty rate
No. 48 Counties in Virginia by median household income
No. 60 Counties in Virginia by Hispanic or Latino share

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Compiled automatically from Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change and American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File by a checked SQL query · Editor: Kian O'Connor · How this site is built

Data retrieved September 25, 2026