Photo: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) · CC BY-SA 2.5How is Salem run?
Salem’s city government spent $2.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,531 per resident. Water and other utilities ($674,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Salem is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,531 per resident a year, or $4.19 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 36%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison or trend for Salem yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Salem’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2024 only (2022 and 2023 are estimates), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $484 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.62% of the home’s value, vs 0.53% across West Virginia.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Salem’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Salem’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Salem →
Who’s in charge in Salem
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 115 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (1,496).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Harrison County School District
Salem’s K–12 school district, shared with Anmoore, Bridgeport, Clarksburg, Lost Creek, Lumberport and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,580 per pupil, $9,169 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
West Virginia districts overall: 36% local, 46% state, 18% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Salem’s votes are counted by county
West Virginia reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Salem alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Harrison County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican69.4%20,480 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat28.5%8,402 votesOthers: 2.1% (613 votes).
Most votes in Harrison County: Donald J Trump
West Virginia: Trump 70.0%, Harris 28.1%
100% of Salem lies in Harrison County. Every 2024 race in Harrison County is on the county’s page.
Harrison County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Salem.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2West Virginia House of DelegatesState representatives
- 3West Virginia SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of West Virginia
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Salem’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Salem’s government
How much does Salem spend per resident?
About $1,531 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Salem?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $484 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.62% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.53% across West Virginia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Salem’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Salem yet.
How did Salem vote in 2024?
West Virginia counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Salem alone. Harrison County, where 100% of Salem lies, voted Trump 69.4%, Harris 28.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Salem?
13 full-time and 14 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $52,795 (about $633,540 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Salem in the state legislature?
State Senate District 12 (Ben Queen and Patrick Martin) and House of Delegates District 72 (Clay Riley). The House of Delegates district also covers five other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Salem’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →