Salem is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.
Despite the fact that it is a small city, Salem has quite a few people who take public transportation – mostly taxis - for their daily commute to work. This helps to fill a real need in the city for affordable transportation.
In Salem, just 12.73% of people have at least a bachelor's degree, which is quite a bit lower than the national average for cities and towns of 21.84%.
The per capita income in Salem in 2022 was $24,371, which is low income relative to New Jersey and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $97,484 for a family of four. However, Salem contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Salem also has one of the higher rates of people living in poverty in the nation, with 31.21% of its population below the federal poverty line.
Salem is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Salem home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Salem residents report their race to be Black or African-American, followed by White. Important ancestries of people in Salem include Irish, Italian, German, English, and French.
The most common language spoken in Salem is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Italian.
