Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Salem gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $189K, 3.3 years of the Salem area’s $58K median household income. It grades B− overall, 641st of 987 graded towns in Ohio. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 82% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and the median household income is $47K, and 21% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns, with 6 places on the National Register. On walkability, just 96 of Ohio’s 1,718 towns do better. The biggest park or preserve is Waterworth Memorial Park, at 32 acres. On history, just 33 of Ohio’s 1,718 towns do better.
Where Salem beats most towns.
John Street House
Census counts: 233 in 1840, 11,915 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1907 and 5 maps from 1909 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Salem is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Salem, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Salem.
Salem draws workers from Perry Township and beyond, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has property taxes about half the Ohio norm.
7,453 jobs are based in Salem, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 4 of Salem’s working residents works in town. Salem’s median household income is $47,000, where Ohio’s towns sit at $75,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000. Salem’s average trip to work is 22 minutes.
| Salem | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 26% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Salem’s FEMA risk score is 3 of 100, below both the Ohio town median (23 of 100) and the median of U.S. towns (44 of 100). Since 2004, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Salem.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 4,691 U.S. towns with household incomes like Salem’s, it is healthier than 51%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
16% of adults report frequent physical distress in Salem.
| Salem | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 28% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Salem | OH |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10% | 8% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.5% | 7.1% |
| More adults in frequent physical distress | 16.2% | 13.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1.1 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.
| Salem | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.5% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Waterworth Memorial Park | 0.8 mi | 32 |
| 2. Centennial Park | 0.3 mi | 26 |
| 3. Kelley Park | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The median property tax bill is $1,343, against $2,822 across Ohio, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
57% of Salem households own their home. Typical home values rose 4.8% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Salem is $763 a month.
| Salem | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $763 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Salem has chilly winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 19° and about 28 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Salem. Close and well known come first.
Big draw29 mi MuseumPro Football Hall of Fame192K visitors a year
38 mi National ParkCuyahoga Valley National Park3.0M visitors a year
29 mi Stadium & arenaTom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium
29 mi LandmarkMcKinley National Memorial12 mi Park & preserveMill Creek Park
18 mi MuseumButler Institute of American ArtPro Football Hall of Fame: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0 · Cuyahoga Valley National Park: Unknown, Public domain · Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium: Harrier233 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · McKinley National Memorial: CoolRockC, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Butler Institute of American Art: Lorinda Dixon, CC BY-SA 4.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Salem
About 4 of every 100 Salem residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
Where Salem’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
6 places in Salem on the National Register of Historic Places.
18 notable people were born in Salem.
City in Ohio, United States
Salem is a city in Columbiana County, Ohio, United States. The population was 11,915 at the 2020 census. It was founded by Quakers in 1806 and was a center of abolitionist activity as well as a station on the Underground Railroad. It is the principal city of the Salem micropolitan area, which comprises Columbiana County; a small portion of the city extends into Mahoning County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Salem.
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salem | #641 | B− | B+ | B− | B | C− |
| Green Township | #223 | A− | B− | — | A | C+ |
| Salem Heights | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Green Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Salem Heights isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Salem with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Salem grades B− overall, better than 46% of U.S. towns and #641 of 987 in Ohio. It grades C− for health, B− for safety and B for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
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 B+.
18 notable people were born here, including Paul Stamets and Jerri Nielsen.
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