Demographics of Salem city, Massachusetts

Salem city, Massachusetts had 45,381 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +1,706 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Salem city, in four figures

45,381
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate. The survey’s 2020–⁠2024 figure is 44,795 ±33.; +3.9%
Change since July 2020: +1,706 people.; 39.3 ±1.5
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $85,153 ±$5,154
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. The Bureau publishes no births, deaths or migration for a place, so the change is the difference between one July estimate and the next.

Salem city, Massachusetts's population grew 3.9% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Salem city, Massachusetts'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, Massachusetts's population grew 3.9% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Salem city, Massachusetts'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	43,675	100.0	100.0
2021	44,605	102.1	100.2
2022	44,648	102.2	100.7
2023	45,427	104.0	101.6
2024	45,417	104.0	102.5
2025	45,381	103.9	103.1

Population of Salem city, Massachusetts on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change
2020	43,675	—
2021	44,605	+930
2022	44,648	+43
2023	45,427	+779
2024	45,417	−10
2025	45,381	−36

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 39.3 ±1.5: for men 37.7 ±2.1 and for women 40.8 ±1.5. 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	Massachusetts	United States
Under 5	1,806 ±377	4.0% ±0.8	5.0% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	5,235 ±645	11.7% ±1.4	14.4% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	4,708 ±554	10.5% ±1.2	9.8% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	14,090 ±993	31.5% ±2.2	27.1% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	11,235 ±841	25.1% ±1.9	25.9% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	7,721 ±751	17.2% ±1.7	17.9% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $85,153 ±$5,154, and income per person $50,339 ±$2,150, in 2024 dollars. The median is $103,960 ±$527 in Massachusetts 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	Massachusetts	United States
Under $25,000	3,425 ±677	16.9% ±3.3	13.2% ±0.2	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	2,810 ±497	13.9% ±2.4	12.5% ±0.2	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	2,823 ±575	13.9% ±2.8	12.0% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	2,351 ±412	11.6% ±2.0	10.7% ±0.2	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	3,704 ±506	18.3% ±2.4	17.5% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	2,501 ±421	12.3% ±2.0	11.9% ±0.1	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	2,653 ±340	13.1% ±1.6	22.3% ±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	Massachusetts	United States
All ages	5,245 ±1,075	12.1% ±2.5	10.0% ±0.1	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	1,271 ±406	18.1% ±5.4	11.7% ±0.3	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	2,250 ±633	8.7% ±2.4	9.3% ±0.2	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	1,724 ±494	16.3% ±4.5	10.4% ±0.2	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Salem city, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Salem city	Massachusetts	United States
Housing units	21,492 ±587	3,030,406 ±453	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	94.3% ±0.9	91.9% ±0.2	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	5.7% ±1.5	8.1% ±0.2	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	49.7% ±2.9	62.5% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	50.3% ±3.5	37.5% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$542,800 ±$17,690	$562,100 ±$2,169	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$1,836 ±$84	$1,762 ±$9	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	At the edge of the top or bottom interval	1964 ±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	Massachusetts	United States
Hispanic or Latino	9,292 ±1,182	20.7% ±2.6	13.3% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	29,764 ±1,329	66.4% ±3.0	66.6% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	2,050 ±547	4.6% ±1.2	6.4% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	1,502 ±505	3.4% ±1.1	7.3% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0 to 48	0% to 0.1%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 87	0% to 0.2%	< 0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	148 to 772	0.3% to 1.7%	1.2% ±0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	1,668 ±408	3.7% ±0.9	5.1% ±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	Massachusetts	United States
Born in the state	26,185 ±1,031	58.5% ±2.3	58.7% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	9,923 ±885	22.2% ±2.0	20.3% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	1,396 ±451	3.1% ±1.0	2.9% ±0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	7,291 ±806	16.3% ±1.8	18.0% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	4,774 ±649	10.7% ±1.4	9.7% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	2,517 ±606	5.6% ±1.4	8.3% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

Salem city among the places and towns of Massachusetts

31st of 291 places and towns of 5,000 or more by the survey’s 2020–2024 count. Every one is listed on the Massachusetts page.

Places of Massachusetts near Salem city in population, ACS 2020–2024
Place	ACS 2020–⁠2024
Methuen city	53,475 ±40
Everett city	50,045 ±33
Barnstable Town city	49,568 ±34
Attleboro city	46,762 ±55
Arlington CDP	46,350 ±40
Salem city	44,795 ±33
Leominster city	43,909 ±36
Pittsfield city	43,457 ±34
Beverly city	42,665 ±49
Billerica town	42,003 ±32
Woburn city	41,939 ±26

Elsewhere on the site

Reported crime in Salem city, Massachusetts

Rankings this appears in

No. 14 Places in Massachusetts by poverty rate
No. 15 Places in Massachusetts by Hispanic or Latino share
No. 39 Places in Massachusetts by foreign-born share
No. 51 Places in Massachusetts by median rent
No. 133 Places in Massachusetts by median home value
No. 141 Places in Massachusetts by median age

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — incorporated places and New England towns — 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 — incorporated places and New England towns 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