Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety41#9,191/15,637
Economy43#8,855/15,631
Housing19#12,194/14,977
Health44#8,675/15,609
Healthcare47#8,226/15,650
Environment32#10,545/15,453
Education12#13,745/15,649
Infrastructure87#1,991/15,650
Community45#8,550/15,651
Leisure & amenities54#7,270/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Salem, Oregon ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Marion County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Mental health providers · high525 /100k
90/100Oregon 776 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMarion County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · low7 mi
87/100Oregon 24 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauMarion County value
Median Air Quality Index · low35
86/100Oregon 352025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyMarion County value
Days with unhealthy air · low0.0%
84/100Oregon 0.4%2025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyMarion County value
Public EV charging ports · high10.5 /10k
83/100Oregon 10.1 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyMarion County value
Job growth · high1.2%
81/100Oregon -1.3%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataMarion County value

Weaknesses

Reading scores · low2.61
5/100Oregon 2.96United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMarion County value
Math scores · low2.53
5/100Oregon 2.85United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMarion County value
Public libraries · low0.2 /10k
7/100Oregon 0.5 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesMarion County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high9.1 µg/m³
9/100Oregon 8.4 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyMarion County value
Pharmacies · low0.9 /10k
10/100Oregon 0.9 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMarion County value
Students per teacher · high19.0×
10/100Oregon 17.8×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsMarion County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
169,259 (2015-2019) → 178,865 (2020-2024)
+5.7%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Median household incomeImproving
$55,920 (2015-2019) → $75,487 (2020-2024)
+35%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Home price to income ratioWorsening
4.3× (2015-2019) → 5.5× (2020-2024)
+27%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
New homes permittedImproving
4.9 /1k (2021) → 6.1 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+27%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
87.2% (2015-2019) → 92.3% (2020-2024)
+5.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
51.1% (2015-2019) → 54.9% (2020-2024)
+3.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Salem, Oregon improved on 4 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 8 moved within the margin of error and 1 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved4

Household income+35%$55,920 → $75,487
Child poverty−3.2 points19.9% → 16.7%
Bachelor's++3.1 points28.4% → 31.5%
Broadband+5.1 points87.2% → 92.3%

Declined2

Price / income+1.2×4.3× → 5.5×
Transit use−1 points2.6% → 1.6%

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Salem, Oregon between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.9 min2015-2019	22.0 min2020-2024	−0.8 min	Within the margin of error	58%
Bachelor's degree or higher	28.4%2015-2019	31.5%2020-2024	+3.1 points	Improved	52%
Broadband subscriptions	87.2%2015-2019	92.3%2020-2024	+5.1 points	Improved	32%
Child poverty rate	19.9%2015-2019	16.7%2020-2024	−3.2 points	Improved	62%
Effective property tax rate	1.29%2015-2019	0.98%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Little change	75%
High school diploma or higher	87.4%2015-2019	88.3%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	45%
Home price to income ratio	4.3×2015-2019	5.5×2020-2024	+1.2×	Declined	16%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4442015-2019	0.4422020-2024	−0.002	Within the margin of error	52%
Median household income	$55,9202015-2019	$75,4872020-2024	+35%	Improved	65%
Poverty rate	15.5%2015-2019	14.4%2020-2024	−1.2 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Public transit commuters	2.6%2015-2019	1.6%2020-2024	−1 points	Declined	18%
Rent as share of income	30.6%2015-2019	32.5%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Within the margin of error	40%
Rent-burdened households	51.1%2015-2019	54.9%2020-2024	+3.8 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Unemployment rate	5.8%2015-2019	5.8%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.5%2015-2019	8.6%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	46%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Salem, Oregon five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Salem, Oregon in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Salem, Oregon itself moved −1.5 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

178,865 residents (±60)

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

67,629 households (±997)

Salem, Oregon
Oregon share

Under $25k15%9,908
$25k–50k17%11,376
$50k–75k18%12,330

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

67,629 households (±997)

Salem, Oregon
Oregon share

Own56%37,812
Rent44%29,817

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

81,657 workers (±1,505)

Salem, Oregon
Oregon share

Drive alone65%53,336
Carpool11%9,337
Public transit1.6%†1,299

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Salem, OR

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Marion County, the county holding most of Salem's residents.

Marion County has 9,176 employer establishments, 262 for every 10,000 residents (1.06× the US rate of 248; 0.91× Oregon's), with 117,012 paid employees at an average annual pay of $51,777. The Census Bureau also counts 21,901 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 9,176; 21,901 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 262; US 248 · Oregon 288
Paid employees: 117,012
Average annual pay: $51,777; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Marion County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	924	26.4	1.71×More than typical	7,609	$68,208	1,075
Ambulatory health care services	668	19.1	0.92×About typical	8,381	$74,722	1,013
Restaurants and other eating places	658	18.8	1.02×About typical	10,830	$23,683	156
Construction of buildings	567	16.2	2.14×More than typical	2,549	$56,725	761
Lessors of real estate	448	12.8	1.04×About typical	1,731	$43,019	2,443
Services to buildings and dwellings	361	10.3	1.53×More than typical	2,213	$40,788	1,136
Building finishing contractors	349	10	2.62×More than typical	2,029	$55,800	404
Full-service restaurants	280	8	1.04×About typical	4,279	$26,173	47
Limited-service restaurants	277	7.9	0.99×About typical	5,257	$22,313	80
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	252	7.2	2.28×More than typical	1,990	$61,890	169
Offices of other health practitioners	251	7.2	1.18×About typical	1,251	$49,464	517
Landscaping services	220	6.3	1.79×More than typical	1,427	$45,075	377

Rank places for an industry Open Marion County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 349,966 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $14.1M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Salem, Oregon: $78.78 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $14.1M; −47% vs FY2025
Per resident: $78.78; US $1,994
Sole-source: 26%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.8%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Defense Logistics Agency$7.3M52%
Agricultural Marketing Service$2M14%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$1.4M10.0%
Bureau of Land Management$827.3K5.9%
Department of the Army$701.8K5.0%
Social Security Administration$639.4K4.5%
Department of Education$267K1.9%
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention$260.8K1.9%

Top recipients

EPIC AVIATION, LLC$7.3M52%
INN FOODS, INC.$2M14%
INTEGRATED MEDICAL SOLUTIONS, LLC$1.4M10.0%
OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY-PUBLIC HEALTH$885.4K6.3%
CAYUSE NATIVE HAWAIIAN VETERANS, LLC$594.2K4.2%

Spending by fiscal year

52.7MFY2017
77.8MFY2018
54.8MFY2019
54.4MFY2020
59.2MFY2021
87.1MFY2022
68.8MFY2023
31.6M

Top industries (NAICS)

Petroleum and coal products manufacturing · 3241$7.3M52%
Fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty food manufacturing · 3114$2M14%
General medical and surgical hospitals · 6221$1.4M10.0%
Data processing, hosting, and related services · 5182$861.2K6.1%
Other ambulatory health care services · 6219$594.2K4.2%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Salem, Oregon

HATCHERY TROUT PRODUCTION$2.7M
STATE OF OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE· Marion County, OR· Other equipment & supplies· Sep 30, 2021 – Apr 9, 2026· W9127N21P0130
TASK ORDER FOR VERBATIM HEARING RECORDER (VHR) SERVICES FOR SSA REGION 4-1 (FL, GA) HEARING OFFICES$1.8M
BUSINESS SUPPORT SERVICES OF SALEM, INC.· Marion County, OR· Professional services· Nov 7, 2024 – Jan 8, 2026· 28321325FR0430005
COMMODITIES FOR USG FOOD DONATIONS: 2000011418/4100034815/BLUEBERRY HIGHBUSH FRZ CTN-12/2.5 LB$1.6M
INN FOODS, INC.· Marion County, OR· Other equipment & supplies· Aug 17, 2026 – Aug 17, 2026· 123J1426C1755

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Salem, Oregon, so they do not add up across cities.

Salem, Oregon's figures are part of those of Marion County, OR and Polk County, OR ($61.1M in FY2026), never added to them: 23% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Salem is mostly in Marion County.

See federal money in Marion County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Salem, Oregon is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Salem, OR56

Other cities and towns in Marion County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/4164900

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends