Photo: Fletcher6 · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Salem, MA: what to set up and who to call
Elections in Salem are run by Salem itself; register with the Salem City Clerk. The closest public drop-off to Salem is Town of Marblehead Transfer Sation, 2 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Salem, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Salem.
Power comes from National Grid
National Grid (Massachusetts Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Salem. Its homes paid an average of 33.7¢ per kWh in 2025, about $164 a month (its average across Massachusetts, for customers on its standard service). Massachusetts lets you buy power from another supplier; 64% of National Grid’s home customers do, and National Grid still delivers it.
Start or move service: masselec.com · (972) 505-4700
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Salem Water Department
Salem Water Department supplies almost all of Salem. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Salem and Beverly Water Supply Board as seller) and serves 44,480 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 83% of the 3,525 systems serving 10,001–50,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Dec 2008, was 3.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. It’s from 2008: EPA has no newer result for this system.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. MA3258000.
4 home internet providers serve Salem
100% of 9,256 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 2% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 100% | 2,000/250 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 66% | 300/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 53% | 25/3 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 22% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Salem is any weekday, depending on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Salem, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s day (any weekday)Look up your day on salemma.gov
- RecyclingEvery other week, same day as trashCheck which week on salemma.gov →
Salem Transfer Station (Yard Waste & Cardboard Recycling Only)
12 Swampscott Road, Salem, MA
- Sat7 am–3 pm
- Sun9 am–5 pm
Single-stream recycling
All your recyclables go in one bin, no sorting.
From salemma.gov, ma-salem.civicplus.com, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2025, 2026-09-27. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Salem is in Salem School District.
DSchool gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Salem is in ZIP code 01970
ZIP codes where Salem residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Salem | ZIP’s residents in Salem |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01970 | Salem, MA | 100% | 100% |
A few homes fall in 01945, 01907. 01971 is P.O. box or single-organization ZIP with no homes.
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
Train: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Salem
Who supplies Salem’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Salem Water Department (EPA ID MA3258000). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 83% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 3.0 ppb (Jan–Dec 2008), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Salem?
National Grid (Massachusetts Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 33.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Salem?
Xfinity, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Salem?
01970. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Salem in?
Salem School District.
How do I register to vote in Salem?
In Massachusetts you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 10 days before). Elections here are run by the Salem City Clerk. Check your registration at sec.state.ma.us.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: Salem’s own website (salemma.gov, ma-salem.civicplus.com), read Oct 21, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from.
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.