Photo: Mojo Hand · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Salem, VA: what to set up and who to call
Salem runs its own electric utility, City of Salem; its homes paid 15.5¢ per kWh in 2025. New voters sign up with the Salem General Registrar, which runs Salem’s elections.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Salem, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Salem.
Power comes from City of Salem
City of Salem (City of Salem - (VA)), a municipal utility, serves all of Salem. Its homes paid an average of 15.5¢ per kWh in 2025, about $147 a month (its average across Virginia).
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from City of Salem water system
The City of Salem water system supplies Salem: about 86% of residents live in its service area. Western Virginia Water Authority serves another 10%. About 8% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws surface water (EPA lists Western Virginia Water Authority as seller) and serves 25,643 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 83% of the 3,525 systems serving 10,001–50,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 3.1 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 82% of similar systems’ latest results.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. VA2775300.
6 home internet providers serve Salem
100% of 9,353 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 84% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 100% | 2,000/250 |
| Glo Fiber | Fiber | 88% | 8,000/8,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 88% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 51% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 36% | 25/3 |
| All Points Broadband | Fixed wireless | 35% | 10/1 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in Salem
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Salem, from the town’s own site.
Salem Transfer Station
We couldn’t find its opening hours.
Accepted at the curb
- Cardboard
- Plastic Number 1 and Number 2
- Bi-metal and aluminum cans
- Newspaper
From salemva.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Salem is in Salem City Public Schools.
A−School gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Salem is in ZIP code 24153
ZIP codes where Salem residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Salem | ZIP’s residents in Salem |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24153 | Salem, VA | 100% | 65% |
24155, 24157 are P.O. box or single-organization ZIPs with no homes.
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Salem
Who supplies Salem’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Salem water system (EPA ID VA2775300). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 83% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 3.1 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Salem?
City of Salem (City of Salem - (VA)), a municipal utility. Its homes paid about 15.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Salem?
Xfinity, Glo Fiber, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, All Points Broadband (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Salem?
24153. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Salem in?
Salem City Public Schools.
How do I register to vote in Salem?
In Virginia you can register online until 11 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 11 days before). Elections here are run by the Salem General Registrar. Check your registration at vote.elections.virginia.gov.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: Salem’s own website (salemva.gov), read Oct 21, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from.
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.