Official Federal Data
Salem city, Virginia
FIPS 51775 · Roanoke, VA · Population 25,618
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$66,725 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.3% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
12,800
Labor Force
33% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$66,725 ▲
Per Capita
$39,370 ▲
Mean Household
$96,247 ▲
Poverty Rate
10.2% ▲
Median Income Comparison
Salem city$66,725
Virginia$93,170
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 19.5%
18-34 · 24.7%
35-54 · 23.2%
55-64 · 13%
65+ · 19.6%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
94.2%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +4.6 pts
33%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 2.7 pts
13.6%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 0.5 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
25,618
Population
12,800
Labor Force
Employed
12,300
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.3% ▲ +0.4 pts YoY
Mean Commute 7 min below national avg
19.0 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
10.8%
Key Takeaways
- Income gap: Households earn meaningfully less than the national median, which directly affects retail demand, housing absorption, and tax base.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 3,600 workers (24.7% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $67,678.
- Wage stratification: Wholesale Trade averages $92,151 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $24,813, a 3.7x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Wholesale Trade Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
1,930
Cluster Employment
2.90x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
4.40x 830
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods
2.90x 840
Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods
2.42x 1,090
Chemical Manufacturing
1.86x 220
Repair and Maintenance
1.68x 324
Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing
1.54x 84
Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related
1.52x 116
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.31x
Real Estate
74 employed
0.40x
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
568 employed
0.42x
Health and Personal Care Retailers
59 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing concentrates at 4.40x the national norm, strong concentration that anchors the local economy and supports supply-chain attraction strategy.
- Cluster depth: 7 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$258,600 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,133 ▲
Rent/Mo
62.8% ▼
Owner-Occ
7.7% ▼
Vacancy
3.9x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,004/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,053/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,254/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,743/mo
4 Bedroom
$2,104/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,668/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.9x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- Affordable rent tiers: 3 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,668/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
15,613 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 7 min below national avg
19.0 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
10.8%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
82.5%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
33% ▲
HS Diploma+
94.2% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
72,277/yr
25,513/yr
10,335/yr
10,020/yr
9,615/yr
9,087/yr
7,707/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
21.4%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
42.4%
Service
16.5%
Sales & Office
23.6%
Construction / Maint.
5.7%
Production / Transport
11.7%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 12,300 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Short commutes: 19.0-minute mean commute is a quality-of-life and labor-access advantage worth surfacing for site selectors.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 45,868 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Salem city shows meaningful potential for fabricated metal product manufacturing attraction, with a 4.40x concentration and 830 jobs in this sub-sector.
The interconnected base across fabricated metal product manufacturing, merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods, and merchant wholesalers, durable goods creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Salem city, Virginia, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Salem city, Virginia?
25,618 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Salem city, Virginia?
$66,725 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Salem city, Virginia?
3.3% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
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