Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Salem grades B+ overall, 138th among Virginia's 249 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its public schools beat 77% of Virginia towns on state tests and graduation and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 89% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $309K, 4.5 years of the Roanoke metro’s $69K median household income. 26% of working residents work locally in Salem, above both Virginia’s towns (4.8%) and U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Williams-Brown House and Store and Evans House.
Where Salem beats most towns.
Williams-Brown House and Store
Census counts: 612 in 1860, 25,346 in 2020. The archive holds 29 old photos and papers going back to 1842 and 6 maps from 1929 on.
20 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Salem is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Salem. Close and well known come first.
Big draw19 mi Park & preserveAppalachian Trail3.0M visitors a year
6 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
21 mi Stadium & arenaLane Stadium
37 mi LandmarkProject Greek Island
27 mi LakeMountain Lake
33 mi LakeSmith Mountain LakeAppalachian Trail: Paulba. Original uploader was Paulbalegend at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Blue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Lane Stadium: User:B, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Project Greek Island: Z22, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mountain Lake: Rolfmueller, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Smith Mountain Lake: Jay White, Public domain
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 Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Salem.
Salem draws workers from Roanoke and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
20,587 jobs are based in Salem, 2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 19 minutes, against 27.3 across Virginia.
About one in 4 of Salem’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Salem is 19 minutes. Since 2013, Salem has lost 2,654 jobs, to 20,587 in 2023.
| Salem | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 11% | 18% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Salem City Public Schools. Three of its 12 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Lewis MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 839 | B− |
| Salem HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,202 | A− |
| West Salem ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 375 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
Salem’s median rent is $1,133 a month. The typical Salem home is worth about $309,000, up 3.8% in a year, 25% below the Virginia typical home. 63% of households own their home in Salem.
| Salem | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,133 a month | $1,764 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 63% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Salem has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 27° and about 18 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Salem's reported crime rate is below Virginia's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 40 violent crimes were reported in 2025.
| Salem | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.8 per 1,000 residents | 14.6 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 10,163 U.S. towns with household incomes like Salem’s, it is healthier than 79%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Salem beats the Virginia average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 36% of Salem adults have high blood pressure.
| Salem | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 22% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 33% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Salem | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.2% | 10.9% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.9% | 11.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
33% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 42% across Virginia.
| Salem | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 20% | 23% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 16% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 44% | 29% |
52.4% women, 47.6% men
About 91 men for every 100 women. Across Virginia, 50.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 41.9, men 39.0.
| Salem | VA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.7% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.8% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 13.7% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.9% | 13.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.9% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.4% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.1% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.5% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.8% | 8.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.5% | 23.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 20% | 17.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.5% | 7.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.4% | 23.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.6% | 18.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
| Salem | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.6% | 4.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Longwood Park | — | 18 |
| 2. Rotary Park | 0.1 mi | 6 |
| 3. Ted Webber Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
638 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 98 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 638 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Salem.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
4 within 15 miles of the center of Salem
About 10 of every 100 Salem residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
2 colleges in town.
20 places in Salem on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Salem.
Independent city in Virginia, United States
Salem is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,346. It is the county seat of Roanoke County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Salem with Roanoke County, which surrounds both Salem and the neighboring City of Roanoke, for statistical purposes. Salem has its own courthouse and sheriff's office, but shares a jail with Roanoke County, which is located in the Roanoke County Courthouse complex in Salem. The Roanoke County Sheriff's Office and Roanoke County Department of Social Services are also located within Salem, though the county administrative offices are located in u…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Salem.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salem | #138 | B+ | C | — | A− | B |
| Roanoke | #237 | D | B− | D | C− | C− |
| Glenvar | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cave Spring | #70 | A | C | — | A | A− |
Salem and Cave Spring report no FBI crime data of their own. Glenvar 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.
By most measures, yes. Salem grades B+ overall, better than 67% of U.S. towns and #138 of 249 in Virginia. It grades B for health and A− for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
7 notable people were born here, including Leander J. Shaw, Jr. and David Carey Shanks.
