Salem is a very small city located in the state of Missouri. With a population of 4,726 people and four associated neighborhoods, Salem is the 149th largest community in Missouri.Unlike some cities, Salem isn’t mainly white- or blue-collar. Instead, the most prevalent occupations for people in Salem are a mix of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Salem is a city of professionals, service providers, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Salem who work in teaching (14.89%), office and administrative support (10.64%), and food service (9.17%). Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Salem spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 18.77 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the city are less than they would otherwise be. Being a small city, Salem does not have a public transit system used by locals to get to and from work.The education level of Salem citizens, measured as those with bachelor's degrees or advanced degrees, is similar to the national average for all American cities and towns. 17.24% of adults 25 and older in Salem have a college degree. The per capita income in Salem in 2022 was $24,636, which is lower middle income relative to Missouri, and low income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $98,544 for a family of four. However, Salem contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. 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 White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Salem include German, Irish, English, Swedish, and European. The most common language spoken in Salem is English. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and Italian.
