Howes Mill. Near Meramoc Forest project area. Salem, Missouri, 1936
Salem Township’s story
Salem Township in pictures
The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1936 and 4 maps from 1934 on.
Explore the history →Salem TownshipMO
A town of 2,360.
Population
2,360
2025 Census estimate · −5.6% since 2020
Median home value
$81K
Census ACS
Household income
$40K
median
Median age
37.0
years
Jobs based here
548
A commuter town
Is Salem Township a good place to live?
Salem Township’s best subject grade is an A for cost of living; its weakest is a D− for health. Only 21 of Missouri’s 419 towns score lower on health. The median household income is $40K, and 23% of residents live below the poverty line. Only 40 of Missouri’s 419 towns score lower on hazard risk. The biggest park or preserve is Ben Cash Memorial Conservation Area, at 1,197 acres. Salem Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
A shrinking town
Salem Township has shrunk 20% since 2010
2,932 counted in 2010 and 2,488 in 2020; an estimated 2,360 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Salem Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Salem Township is from typical.
HealthLess healthy than 98% of U.S. towns; Arkansas Methodist Medical Center 17.9 miles awayD−Open →Jobs & income548 jobs based hereD−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $81K, 1.7 years of the Kennett area’s $48K median household incomeAOpen →Hazard riskearthquakes tops the listDOpen →SchoolsC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.6 of 20; 14.1% of households have no car; 0.7% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors9 miles of trails; 4% conserved landCOpen →HistoryC−Open →Civic life1.2 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsCOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Salem Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Salem Township, and how to reach them.
PowerPemiscot-Dunklin Elec CoopEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterSenath PWS1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Salem Township’s trash rules yet
SchoolsSenath-Hornersville C-8 School DistrictSouthland C-9 School District2 districts serve Salem Township; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Missouri you can register online until 27 days before Election Day, in person until 27 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 27 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereDunklinDunklin County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2015
ZIP codes63876, 6382163876 79% · 63821 21%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Salem Township.
HealthD−
More of Salem Township’s adults report frequent physical distress than in the typical Missouri or U.S. town
20% of adults report frequent physical distress in Salem Township, above both the Missouri town median (15%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). 32% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Salem Township. Salem Township beats the Missouri average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 21.
2%healthier than U.S. townsD−Health Grade
| Salem Township | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 22% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 17% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 30% | 25% |
32 measures vs. Missouri
0 better11 too close to call21 worse
| What stands out | Salem Township | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 16.9% | 8.7% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 24.6% | 13.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 27.3% | 15.8% |
Arkansas Methodist Medical Center
17.9 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsC−
On state tests, Salem Township’s schools trail 78% of Missouri districts
Its public schools are run by the Senath-Hornersville C-8 school district. Its two schools are below.
22%of MO districts it outscoresC−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senath-Hornersville Elem SCHLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 292 | B+ |
| Senath-Hornersville High SchooLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 205 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Earthquakes leads a very high hazard risk in Salem Township
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 81% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Salem Township since 1979.
81risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesInland floodingDrought
1
paid flood claims since 1979
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
Most of Salem Township’s workers commute out: the town has 0.6 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Salem Township for work: only 13% work in town. Salem Township’s median household income is $40,000, against $62,000 in Missouri’s towns and $80,000 across U.S. towns. The average trip to work in Salem Township is 27 minutes.
13%work in town
| Salem Township | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $40,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 13% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Salem Township13%
Kennett12%
Paragould9%
Senath8%
Blytheville6%
20 mi
median commute distance
548
jobs based in Salem Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 29% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Salem Township stands out in Missouri and nationally, with a typical July afternoon hotter than most
Salem Township’s July high is 90°F. Salem Township has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain.
4″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter32–49°
Spring50–71°
Summer69–89°
Fall50–72°
Nov 1
typical first frost
Mar 31
typical last frost
+0.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
3.9%conserved
| Salem Township | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.9% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
3.9%
conserved · 1,676 of 43,147 acres
8.8 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ben Cash Memorial Conservation Area | — | 1,197 |
| 2. Williamson Park | 0.2 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Salem Township
17pages on Salem Township
The big questions
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Salem Township; the nearest are
Arkansas Northeastern CollegeCommunity college · Public · Blytheville, AR20.7 mi$2,570 in-state tuitionArkansas State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Jonesboro, AR33.2 mi$8,090 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Salem Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
A commuter town
87% of working residents leave Salem Township for work
Where Salem Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
548jobs based in Salem Township
13%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Salem Township
Township in the U.S. state of Missouri
Salem Township is a township in Dunklin County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. Salem Township was established in 1845, and most likely was named after Salem, Massachusetts. The two biggest cities in the township are Senath and Arbyrd.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Salem Township’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Salem Township.
Independence TownshipClay TownshipBuffalo TownshipArbyrdSalem Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | MO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salem Township | — | — | A | — | C− | D− |
| Independence Township | #199 | C− | A | — | C | D− |
| Clay Township | — | — | A+ | — | C | D− |
| Buffalo Township | — | — | B | — | D | D− |
| Arbyrd | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Salem Township, Clay Township and Buffalo Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Salem Township, Independence Township, Clay Township and Buffalo Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Arbyrd isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Salem Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Salem Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Salem Township, MO expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.