Shrubbery, 1908
Salem Township’s story
Salem Township in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 2 maps from 1957 on.
Explore the history →
Salem TownshipOttawa County, OH
A town of 5,210. 67% more nonprofits per person than the typical Ohio town.
5 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Population
5,210
2025 Census estimate · −2% since 2020
Median home value
$168K
Census ACS
Household income
$62K
median
Median age
39.7
years
Jobs based here
1,188
A commuter town
TownGrade
A−
#209 of 987 in OH
Is Salem Township a good place to live?
Salem Township gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $168K for a typical one, or 2.3 years of the Sandusky metro’s $74K median household income. It grades A− overall, 209th among Ohio's 987 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 86% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. On the plus side, its public schools beat 90% of Ohio towns on state tests and graduation. Only 75 of Ohio’s 1,560 towns score higher on civic life. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 77% of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Ottawa County Fairgrounds, at 88 acres.
What makes Salem Township stand out
Where Salem Township beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Salem Township6.5
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical OH town3.9
Civic lifeA+
67% more nonprofits per person
than the typical Ohio town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
Benton Carroll Salem Local schools
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| R C Waters Elementary School | K–3 | 357 |
| St. Boniface Elementary School | PK–8 | 62 |
| Oak Harbor Intermediate School | 4–6 | 315 |
SchoolsA
On state tests and graduation
NCES · EDFacts.
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.
1,188jobs based in Salem Township
13%of working residents work in town
18 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Salem Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Salem Township is from typical.
SchoolsAOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listDOpen →Cost of livingAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.2 of 20; 2.8% of households have no car; 0.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →Jobs & income1,188 jobs based hereB+Open →HealthMagruder Hospital 9.5 miles awayC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors3% conserved landBOpen →HistoryBOpen →Civic life6.5 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsA+Open →
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.
PowerThe Toledo Edison16.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterOak Harbor Village water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Salem Township’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Ohio you can register online until 30 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereDirector, Ottawa County Board of ElectionsOttawa County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Feb 2022
ZIP codes43449, 4345243449 98% · 43452 1%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Salem Township.
Salem Township pairs an A for schools with modest home prices and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Ohio (mostly inland flooding).
SchoolsA
Salem Township’s grade for schools is an A
Its A for schools comes with an A for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $168K.
Its public schools are run by the Benton Carroll Salem Local school district. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Oak Harbor High School, with 669 students.
90%of OH districts it outscoresASchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| R C Waters Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–3 | Grades K–3 | 357 | A |
| Oak Harbor High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 669 | A |
| Oak Harbor Intermediate SchoolTop results in townGrades 4–6 | Grades 4–6 | 315 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OH on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
In Salem Township, the FEMA risk score runs higher than in the typical Ohio or U.S. town
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of Ohio towns, with expected losses of about $452 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Among 993 Ohio towns, just 9 have a higher FEMA risk score than Salem Township. Since 1980, 12 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Salem Township.
86risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoes
12
paid flood claims since 1980
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
Most of Salem Township’s workers commute out: the town has 0.5 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Salem Township for work: only 13% work in town. 4.2% of residents live below the poverty line in Salem Township, below both Ohio’s towns (9.1%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Salem Township’s median household income is $62,000.
13%work in town
| Salem Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 4.2% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 7.7% | 9.7% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In Salem Township13%
Oak Harbor9%
Port Clinton9%
Toledo7%
Fremont6%
18 mi
median commute distance
1,188
jobs based in Salem Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 23% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
#464for trails in OH
| Salem Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.4% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
3.4%
conserved · 646 of 19,244 acres
5.9 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Veteran's Memorial Park | 0.6 mi | 22 |
| 2. Ottawa County Fairgrounds | — | 88 |
| 3. Kramers Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
In Salem Township, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Salem Township has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 20° and about 26 inches of snow falls in a winter.
26″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter23–36°
Spring40–59°
Summer62–82°
Fall45–63°
Oct 24
typical first frost
Apr 21
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthC+
Salem Township is less healthy than 62% of U.S. towns
Against the 9,398 U.S. towns with household incomes like Salem Township’s, it is healthier than 57%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Salem Township beats the Ohio average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 41% of adults have high blood pressure in Salem Township, above both the Ohio town median (38%) and the median of U.S. towns (35%). 39% of Salem Township adults have obesity.
38%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Salem Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 38% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 28% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 13% | 12% |
32 measures vs. Ohio
6 better23 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Salem Township | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.7% | 14.1% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.4% | 8.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.6% | 8.7% |
Magruder Hospital
9.5 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
51st
percentile among OH towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Who lives here
Older than Ohio overall
People 65 and older are 22% of residents (18% statewide). 24% of residents are under 18 in Salem Township. Salem Township has lost 2% of its people since 2020, down to 5,210 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
39.7median age · OH 39.7
| Salem Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 20% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 24% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 39.7 years | 41.7 years | 40.5 years |
Salem TownshipOhioUnited States
Ages · share of residents
17%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma4%
High school37%
Some college21%
Associate’s12%
Bachelor’s18%
Graduate8%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.1 points. Across Ohio, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Salem Township | OH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13% | 11.7% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.8% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.3% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.2% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.7% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.9% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.6% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.7% | 10.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.7% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.7% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 36.8% | 32.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.2% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.3% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.7% | 19.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.2% | 12.2% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Nearby attractions
All 57 attractions →Cedar Point and 14 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Salem Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw23 mi Theme parkCedar Point3.8M visitors a year
25 mi MuseumToledo Museum of Art340K visitors a year
19 mi National MemorialPerry's Victory and International Peace Memorial124K visitors a year
25 mi Zoo & aquariumToledo Zoo
18 mi CaveCrystal Cave
28 mi LandmarkFort MeigsSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Cedar Point: Larry Pieniazek, User:Lar, en:User:Lar (primary), CC BY 2.5 · Toledo Museum of Art: Ɱ, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial: NPS Photo, Public domain · Toledo Zoo: DreamingKoala, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Crystal Cave: Analogue Kid at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 · Fort Meigs: Traveler100, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Keep exploring
Everything we know about Salem Township
18pages on Salem Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Salem Township
About 2 of every 100 Salem Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
About Salem Township
Township in Ohio, US
Salem Township is one of the twelve townships of Ottawa County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 5,311 people in the township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 30 sq mi
- Elevation
- 571 ft
Salem Township’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Salem Township.
Carroll TownshipRice TownshipBay TownshipErie TownshipHarris TownshipSalem Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salem Township | #209 | A− | A | — | A | C+ |
| Carroll Township | — | — | B+ | — | A | C+ |
| Rice Township | — | — | C+ | — | C+ | C− |
| Bay Township | — | — | A | — | B | C+ |
| Erie Township | — | — | A | — | B | C+ |
| Harris Township | #216 | A− | A− | — | B+ | B− |
Carroll Township, Rice Township, Bay Township and Erie Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Salem Township, Carroll Township, Rice Township, Bay Township, Erie Township and Harris Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Salem Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Salem Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Salem Township, OH a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Salem Township grades A− overall, better than 81% of U.S. towns and #209 of 987 in Ohio. It grades C+ for health and A for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Salem Township, OH 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.