Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety89#99/924
Economy20#739/925
Housing70#281/925
Health23#712/925
Healthcare19#752/923
Environment34#605/917
Education18#756/925
Infrastructure30#646/925
Community63#339/925
Leisure & amenities17#767/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Salem, OH micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Job growth · high2.8%
95/100Ohio -0.2%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data
Property crime rate · low507 /100k
93/100Ohio 1,429 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Severe housing problems · low9.9%
92/100Ohio 12.7%United States 16.8%2017-2021University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Suicide rate · low12.0 /100k
92/100Ohio 15.5 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Drought exposure · low3%
91/100Ohio 11%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAggregated from counties
Social associations · high15.1 /10k
87/100Ohio 10.8 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Dentists · low27 /100k
4/100Ohio 66 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Primary care physicians · low31 /100k
7/100Ohio 77 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Drug overdose deaths · high33.9 /100k
7/100Ohio 18.9 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Public EV charging ports · low1.1 /10k
9/100Ohio 4.5 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyAggregated from counties
Bachelor's degree or higher · low17.1%
11/100Ohio 31.5%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
New homes permitted · low0.7 /1k
13/100Ohio 2.7 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data

Trends

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

Traffic deathsWorsening
6.4 /100k (2015-2019) → 10.9 /100k (2020-2024)
+71%5 yearsUS 11.3 /100k → 12.3 /100k
Mental health providersImproving
117 /100k (2021) → 196 /100k (2025)
+68%4 yearsUS 282 /100k → 348 /100k
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
63.4% (2010 & 2021) → 76.8% (2022 & 2024)
+13 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
New business applicationsImproving
5.7 /1k (2020) → 9.1 /1k (2025)
+61%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Property crime rateImproving
1,225 /100k (2020) → 507 /100k (2025)
−59%5 yearsUS 1,929 /100k → 1,535 /100k
Homicide rateImproving
5.1 /100k (2021) → 2.2 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−57%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k

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, OH micropolitan area improved on 12 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 9. 8 moved within the margin of error and 2 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved12

Libraries+17%0.7 /10k → 0.8 /10k
Suicides−28%16.7 /100k → 12.0 /100k
Property crime−59%1,225 /100k → 507 /100k
Unemployment−4 points9.3% → 5.3%
New businesses+61%5.7 /1k → 9.1 /1k

Declined9

Traffic deaths+71%6.4 /100k → 10.9 /100k
Violent crime+30%93 /100k → 121 /100k
Pharmacies−32%1.8 /10k → 1.2 /10k
Arts & recreation−12%2.8 /10k → 2.4 /10k
Grocery stores−17%2.1 /10k → 1.7 /10k

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Salem, OH micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.8 /10k2020	2.4 /10k2025	−12%	Declined	11%
Average commute time	25.5 min2015-2019	24.6 min2020-2024	−0.9 min	Within the margin of error	86%
Average weekly wage	$8202020	$9852025	+20%	Improved	22%
Bachelor's degree or higher	14.9%2015-2019	17.1%2020-2024	+2.2 points	Improved	36%
Broadband subscriptions	78.3%2015-2019	86.7%2020-2024	+8.4 points	Improved	45%
Child poverty rate	22.1%2015-2019	22.0%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	24%
Distance to an airport	33 mi2020	33 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	45.3 /100k2020	33.9 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−25%	Improved	51%
Effective property tax rate	1.13%2015-2019	0.97%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	61%
Firearm deaths	10.8 /100k2020	12.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+14%	Declined	30%
Grocery stores	2.1 /10k2020	1.7 /10k2025	−17%	Declined	13%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.7 /10k2020	0.6 /10k2025	−12%	Declined	24%
High school diploma or higher	88.5%2015-2019	89.8%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	38%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	2.6×2020-2024	+0.3×	Declined	62%
Homicide rate	2.4 /100k2020	2.2 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−8.3%	Improved	30%
Income adjusted for local prices	$43,7312019	$57,9572024	+33%	Improved	56%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4402015-2019	0.4632020-2024	+0.022	Within the margin of error	12%
Median household income	$48,3452015-2019	$58,1802020-2024	+20%	Improved	15%
New business applications	5.7 /1k2020	9.1 /1k2025	+61%	Improved	71%
Pharmacies	1.8 /10k2020	1.2 /10k2025	−32%	Declined	8%
Poverty rate	14.3%2015-2019	15.2%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Property crime rate	1,225 /100k2020	507 /100k2025	−59%	Improved	95%
Public libraries	0.7 /10k2019	0.8 /10k2024	+17%	Improved	95%
Rent as share of income	27.0%2015-2019	27.5%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	48%
Rent-burdened households	44.5%2015-2019	45.8%2020-2024	+1.3 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Restaurants and bars	6.7 /10k2020	6.1 /10k2025	−8.2%	Declined	17%
Suicide rate	16.7 /100k2020	12.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−28%	Improved	92%
Traffic deaths	6.4 /100k2015-2019	10.9 /100k2020-2024	+71%	Declined	2%
Unemployment rate	9.3%2020	5.3%2025	−4 points	Improved	81%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.0%2015-2019	9.0%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Violent crime rate	93 /100k2020	121 /100k2025	+30%	Declined	9%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Salem, OH micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Salem, OH micropolitan area 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, OH micropolitan area itself moved −4.6 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

100,704 residents

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

41,459 households (±607)

Salem, OH micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k22%9,055
$25k–50k22%9,097
$50k–75k18%7,476

Homes

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

Owners and renters

41,459 households (±607)

Salem, OH micropolitan area
United States share

Own73%30,159
Rent27%11,300

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

45,027 workers (±890)

Salem, OH micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone80%36,245
Carpool9.6%4,310
Public transit0.2%†74

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 no occupation wages for Salem, OH micropolitan area.

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.

Salem, OH has 1,907 employer establishments, 191 for every 10,000 residents (0.77× the US rate of 248), with 25,092 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,613. The Census Bureau also counts 6,637 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,907; 6,637 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 191; US 248
Paid employees: 25,092
Average annual pay: $43,613; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	149	14.9	0.81×About typical	2,715	$19,826	36
Ambulatory health care services	137	13.7	0.66×Fewer than typical	1,372	$50,813	242
Specialty trade contractors	113	11.3	0.73×Fewer than typical	604	$56,853	644
Religious organizations	92	9.2	1.66×More than typical	468	$16,199	—
Limited-service restaurants	80	8	1.00×About typical	1,481	$22,111	14
Truck transportation	59	5.9	1.17×About typical	921	$64,293	248
Fabricated metal product manufacturing	53	5.3	3.32×More than typical	1,549	$59,199	37
Automotive repair and maintenance	50	5	0.99×About typical	188	$38,149	136
Offices of physicians	50	5	0.77×Fewer than typical	295	$115,031	39
Full-service restaurants	45	4.5	0.59×Fewer than typical	876	$18,016	16
Services to buildings and dwellings	43	4.3	0.64×Fewer than typical	150	$39,213	433
Building equipment contractors	40	4	0.66×Fewer than typical	272	$56,691	84

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 100,060 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $13.3M on contracts performed in Salem, OH micropolitan area: $134 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $13.3M; −39% vs FY2025
Per resident: $134; US $1,994
Sole-source: 18%; US 30%
Single offer: 50%; 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$9.7M73%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$3.1M24%
Department of the Navy$389.4K2.9%
National Aeronautics and Space Administration$130.3K1.0%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

14.6MFY2017
16.8MFY2018
17.7MFY2019
15.6MFY2020
18.8MFY2021
14.5MFY2022
26.9MFY2023
28.1M

Top industries (NAICS)

Other fabricated metal product manufacturing · 3329$8.4M63%
General medical and surgical hospitals · 6221$1.8M14%
Water, sewage and other systems · 2213$950.2K7.1%
Electrical equipment manufacturing · 3353$362.6K2.7%
Motor vehicle parts manufacturing · 3363$265.5K2.0%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$247.6K

Largest awards

REGION 5, EMERGENCY AND RAPID RESPONSE SERVICES V (ERRS V): TASK ORDER INITIATION/REMOVAL WORK AT THE EAST PALESTINE OHIO TRAIN DERAILMENT SITE (C5XR)$7.6M
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT, INC· Columbiana County, OH· Facilities & utilities· Feb 28, 2023 – Dec 8, 2025· 68HE0523F0041
VALVE,GLOBE SPECIAL$1.3M
HUNT VALVE COMPANY, INC.· Columbiana County, OH· Other equipment & supplies· Sep 19, 2024 – May 11, 2026· N0010424CBA49
8511841364!VALVE,BALL$999.9K
HUNT VALVE COMPANY, INC.· Columbiana County, OH· Other equipment & supplies· Jan 12, 2026 – Jan 12, 2026· SPE7MC26P1160
FOR ESTIMATED OUTSIDE HOSPITAL SERVICES (B2) FOR THE PERIOD OF APRIL 1, 2026 THROUGH APRIL 30, 2026.

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.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $687M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Salem, OH micropolitan area: $6,913 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $687M; −5.1% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,913; US $12,955
Loan face value: $20.6M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.5%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$428.9M62%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$61.6M9.0%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$61.6M9.0%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$57.7M8.4%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$22.7M3.3%
93.600 · Head Start$7.6M1.1%
57.001 · Social Insurance for Railroad Workers$6.7M1.0%
64.110 · Veterans Dependency and Indemnity Compensation for Service-Connected Death$6M0.9%

Top recipients (organizations)

OHIO DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$11.2M1.6%
COLUMBUS, OH
COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY OF COLUMBIANA COUNTY, INC.$10.6M1.5%
LISBON, OH
COLUMBIANA METRO HOUSING$6.2M0.9%
EAST LIVERPOOL, OH
OHIO VALLEY BUSINESS COLLEGE, INC.$768.7K0.1%
EAST LIVERPOOL, OH
COLUMBIANA COUNTY VOCATIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$574.8M84%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$66.9M9.7%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$11.2M1.6%
Department of Transportation
Administration for Children and Families$7.6M1.1%
Department of Health and Human Services
Railroad Retirement Board

Assistance by fiscal year

591.6MFY2021
593.6MFY2022
641MFY2023
668.3MFY2024
723.8MFY2025
687MFY2026

County aggregates

94%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Salem, OH

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Columbiana CountyCentral county4499,377

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

SalemPrincipal city11,758

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Ohio

Areas based in Ohio, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M41400

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved12

Declined9

Metro and micro areas like Salem, OH micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Salem, OH

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Ohio

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved12

Declined9

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought