Salem LakesWI
A town of 14,271.
Is Salem Lakes a good place to live?
Salem Lakes is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B− overall, 239th of 357 graded towns in Wisconsin, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is incomes: the median household earns $95K. Expect to pay for it: homes are expensive, about $316K for a typical one and 3.9 times the Kenosha metro’s $81K median household income. Only 7 of the 362 Wisconsin towns we compare have a higher average trip to work than Salem Lakes. Silver Lake County Park, at 257 acres with 8.9 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 69% of U.S. towns.
92% of working residents leave Salem Lakes for work
Where Salem Lakes’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Salem Lakes grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Salem Lakes is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Salem Lakes: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Salem Lakes, and how to reach them.
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 Lakes.
Salem Lakes sends many workers across the state line to Antioch and has colder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of Wisconsin.
| Salem Lakes | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.4% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Silver Lake County Park | 8.9 mi | 257 |
| 2. Salem Community Park | 1.2 mi | 102 |
| 3. Fox River Park | 0.1 mi | 128 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
On state tests, Salem Lakes’ schools beat 66% of Wisconsin districts
Three of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Wilmot High, with 840 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salem ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 936 | B− |
| Wilmot HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 840 | B |
| Riverview ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 449 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Most of Salem Lakes’ workers commute out: the town has 0.3 jobs for each of them
30% of working residents cross a state line to work, Antioch among the top destinations. The average commute for its 7,249 working residents takes 31.6 minutes, against 22.2 across Wisconsin.
Most working residents leave Salem Lakes for work: only 8% work in town. Since 2013, Salem Lakes has added 771 jobs, to 2,469 in 2023. The top destinations are Kenosha (11%), Pleasant Prairie (6%) and Milwaukee (4%).
| Salem Lakes | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $95,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.6% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In Salem Lakes, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
January nights average 14.1°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 98% of Wisconsin places with climate records; July afternoons average 82.9°.
Salem Lakes has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. At 14°F, Salem Lakes’ January low is against 11°F in Wisconsin’s towns and 22°F across U.S. towns. About 43 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Salem Lakes | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 14°F | 11°F | 22°F |
| July high | 83°F | 82°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Salem Lakes ranks healthier than 61% of the country’s towns
Salem Lakes beats the Wisconsin average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 21% of adults binge drink in Salem Lakes, above both Wisconsin’s towns (20%) and U.S. towns (16%). 40% of adults have obesity in Salem Lakes.
| Salem Lakes | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 24% | 23% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 77% | 78% | 79% |
| What stands out | Salem Lakes | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.2% | 12.1% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 3% | 3.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
More middle-aged adults than Wisconsin overall
Adults 35 to 64 are 43% of residents (38% statewide). Salem Lakes has lost 2.3% of its people since 2020, down to 14,271 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 27% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Wisconsin.
| Salem Lakes | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 43.9 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 27% | 32% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 21% | 21% | 22% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.2 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Salem Lakes | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.6% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.8% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.3% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.1% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 19.3% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.6% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.3% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.3% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.2% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.4% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.5% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.6% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Salem Lakes faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 51% of U.S. communities. Since 2017, 13 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Salem Lakes.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The median home in Salem Lakes sells for about $400K
83% of Salem Lakes households own their home.
| Salem Lakes | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 83% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,184 a month | $1,076 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Six Flags Great America and 42 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Salem Lakes. Close and well known come first.
Big draw16 mi Theme parkSix Flags Great America3.0M visitors a year
39 mi Stadium & arenaAllstate Arena
37 mi Stadium & arenaFiserv Forum
36 mi MuseumMcDonald's #1 Store Museum
37 mi MuseumMilwaukee Art Museum350K visitors a year
29 mi MuseumIllinois Railway MuseumPhoto credits
Six Flags Great America: Feather Better, CC BY 4.0 · Allstate Arena: Nkon21, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fiserv Forum: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0 · McDonald's #1 Store Museum: Bruce Marlin, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Milwaukee Art Museum: Michael Hicks (Mulad), CC BY 2.0 · Illinois Railway Museum: The original uploader was Slambo at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0
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Everything we know about Salem Lakes
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Salem Lakes
About 5 of every 100 Salem Lakes residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Wisconsin.
About Salem Lakes
Village in Wisconsin, United States
Salem Lakes, formerly the town of Salem and the village of Silver Lake, is a village in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States. The village was created by a municipal merger on February 14, 2017. The population was 14,601 at the 2020 census. The communities of Benet Lake, Camp Lake, Cross Lake, Fox River, Lake Shangrila, Liberty Corners, Salem, Salem Oaks, Silver Lake, Trevor, Voltz Lake, and Wilmot are wholly or partially located in the village.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 32 sq mi
- Elevation
- 741 ft
Salem Lakes’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Salem Lakes.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its B−; Randall (B+) is closest.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salem Lakes | #239 | B− | C | — | B+ | B |
| Paddock Lake | #109 | A− | B− | — | B | B+ |
| Bristol | #31 | A | C | — | A− | A− |
| Randall | #153 | B+ | B | — | B− | B |
| Brighton | — | — | C− | — | A | B |
Brighton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Salem Lakes, Paddock Lake, Bristol, Randall and Brighton report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Salem Lakes with a neighbor →
Questions about Salem Lakes
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Salem Lakes, WI a good place to live?
Salem Lakes grades B− overall, better than 53% of U.S. towns and #239 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades B for health and B+ for schools.
Is Salem Lakes, WI expensive?
The typical home is worth about $316,000, 6% below the Wisconsin typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.