Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This town of 6,786 people was settled in 1846.
Much to like here, and you pay for it. Health is its strong suit: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 96% of the country. The drawback is walkability. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 92% of U.S. towns. Cost of living is weaker too: the typical home is worth about $430K, 4.8 years of the Ann Arbor metro’s $89K median household income. All told, that adds up to an A− overall, better than 80% of U.S. towns. It ranks 154th of 697 in Michigan. The biggest park or preserve is Creekshead Preserve, at 26 acres.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · OpenStreetMap.
Where Salem Township beats most towns.
5,627 counted in 2010 and 7,018 in 2020; an estimated 6,786 in 2025.
Since 2020 the trend has turned: down 3.3%, after 24.7% growth in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Salem Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1895 and 7 maps from 1902 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Salem Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaMichigan Stadium
Big draw29 mi Stadium & arenaFord Field
29 mi Stadium & arenaComerica Park
20 mi MuseumThe Henry Ford1.8M visitors a year
6 mi Park & preserveDomino's Farms
29 mi TheatreFox TheatreMichigan Stadium: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ford Field: Unknown, CC BY 2.5 · Comerica Park: City of Detroit, Public domain · The Henry Ford: Alvintrusty, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Domino's Farms: Dwight Burdette, CC BY 3.0 · Fox Theatre: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Salem Township, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Salem Township.
Salem Township has less food insecurity than most of Michigan, pairs an A for schools with high home prices and has household incomes well above the Michigan norm.
Its widest gap with Michigan is food insecurity: 7.5% of its 26,591 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.4% statewide.
Salem Township: 31% of adults have high blood pressure; what’s more, nearly a tenth of Salem Township adults have diabetes, where Michigan’s towns sit at 12% and U.S. towns at 12%. Two figures for adults in the town: 8.8% smoke cigarettes, 11% report frequent physical distress. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Salem Township is ahead of Michigan on 26 and behind on 1.
| Salem Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 37% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Salem Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.5% | 15.4% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.3% | 10.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.9% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A for schools comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $430K.
The South Lyon Community Schools runs its public schools. Its one school is below. 371 students attend Salem Township’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salem Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 371 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
52% of Salem Township’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 23%. On expected storm and flood damage, Salem Township sits below 84% of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Salem Township once, in 2021.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In 4 parks and preserves, walkers have 12 miles of trail. The concentration of trails in Salem Township is 0.4 miles per square mile.
| Salem Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.9% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Creekshead Preserve | — | 26 |
| 2. Anthony and Rose Shatter Family Preserve | — | 25 |
| 3. Walking Path Pocket Park | 0.1 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Jobs based here grew from 557 in 2011 to 781.
Just 4% of Salem Township’s working residents have a job in town. In Salem Township, the median household income is $112,000, above both Michigan’s towns ($77,000) and U.S. towns ($80,000). The town had 781 jobs in 2021, up 224 from 2011. Half of commuters travel less than 13 miles.
| Salem Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $112,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.7% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.2% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
The median household earns $112,378, against $72,875 across Michigan, one input to its A for jobs and income.
Among adults 25 and older in Salem Township, 40% hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Adults 18 to 34 are 13% of residents (22% statewide); children under 18 are 30% of residents (21% statewide). The Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate puts Salem Township at 6,786 residents, down 3.3% since 2020.
| Salem Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 40% | 26% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 19% | 18% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.4 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Salem Township | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.1% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 18.9% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.3% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.3% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.1% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.5% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.9% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.2% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.7% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.6% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.9% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 18% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.7% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.4% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 20.5% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Summer afternoons peak near 83° in July, and January nights bottom out around 16°; snowfall runs to about 61 inches a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
7 within 15 miles of the center of Salem Township
About 3 of every 100 Salem Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
Where Salem Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Salem Township is a civil township of Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 7,018 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Salem Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salem Township | #154 | A− | C− | — | A | A+ |
| Superior Township | #200 | B+ | C | — | A | A− |
| Northfield Township | #54 | A | C | B+ | A | A |
| Northville Township | #30 | A+ | D | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Lyon Township | #33 | A+ | D | A | A | A |
Salem Township and Superior Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Salem Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Salem Township grades A− overall, better than 80% of U.S. towns and #154 of 697 in Michigan. It grades A+ for health and A for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
2 notable people were born here, including Barbara Lewis and Melbourne H. Ford.
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