Salem is also a college town, where lots of students live while attending area colleges. Because of the high percentage of people living in Salem enrolled in college, Salem has a number of services, amenities and opportunities geared towards the needs and activities of students.
In terms of college education, Salem is nearly on par with the US average for all cities of 21.84%: 18.24% of adults 25 and older in Salem have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree.
The per capita income in Salem in 2022 was $20,352, which is low income relative to West Virginia and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $81,408 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, English, Irish, Italian, and Scots-Irish.
The most common language spoken in Salem is English. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and West Germanic languages.
