Scores by category

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

Safety53#432/924
Economy58#388/925
Housing9#843/925
Health61#360/925
Healthcare69#291/923
Environment40#547/917
Education44#514/925
Infrastructure82#163/925
Community62#352/925
Leisure & amenities58#386/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Strengths

Distance to an Amtrak station · low7 mi
90/100Oregon 24 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Access to exercise opportunities · high88.8%
89/100Oregon 88.0%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Physical inactivity · low21.4%
85/100Oregon 20.9%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Mental health providers · high488 /100k
85/100Oregon 776 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Adult smoking · low12.7%
85/100Oregon 14.4%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Public transit commuters · high1.1%
84/100Oregon 2.2%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301

Weaknesses

High ozone days · high4 days
7/100Oregon 1 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Pharmacies · low0.8 /10k
8/100Oregon 0.9 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Public libraries · low0.3 /10k
8/100Oregon 0.5 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAggregated from counties
Severe housing problems · high19.1%
9/100Oregon 18.2%United States 16.8%2017-2021University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Home price to income ratio · high5.4×
10/100Oregon 5.8×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high8.8 µg/m³
11/100Oregon 8.4 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Drought exposureImproving
70% (2021) → 56% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
−14 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Child care cost burdenWorsening
20.8% (2020 & 2021) → 32.1% (2023 & 2024)
+11 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
New business applicationsImproving
8.0 /1k (2020) → 12.3 /1k (2025)
+54%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Drug overdose deathsImproving
23.6 /100k (2021) → 11.8 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−50%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
High ozone daysImproving
7 days (2017) → 4 days (2022)
−45%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Hot daysWorsening
7 days (2011-2020) → 10 days (2016-2025)
+44%5 yearsUS 41 days → 42 days

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, OR metro area improved on 14 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 7. 4 moved within the margin of error and 7 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.

Improved14

Firearm deaths−16%13.3 /100k → 11.2 /100k
Household income+31%$60,178 → $78,900
Weekly wage+25%$986 → $1,237
New businesses+54%8.0 /1k → 12.3 /1k
Property crime−38%2,897 /100k → 1,793 /100k

Declined7

Price / income+1.2×4.2× → 5.4×
Inequality+0.0120.427 → 0.440
Rent / income+1.8 points29.8% → 31.6%
Rent burden+3.7 points49.5% → 53.2%
Transit use−0.4 points1.5% → 1.1%

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Salem, OR metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.5 /10k2020	3.8 /10k2025	+6.3%	Improved	43%
Average commute time	24.5 min2015-2019	24.3 min2020-2024	−0.2 min	Within the margin of error	70%
Average weekly wage	$9862020	$1,2372025	+25%	Improved	70%
Bachelor's degree or higher	24.9%2015-2019	27.1%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Improved	34%
Broadband subscriptions	86.1%2015-2019	91.5%2020-2024	+5.4 points	Improved	11%
Child poverty rate	18.5%2015-2019	16.2%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Improved	49%
Distance to an airport	47 mi2020	47 mi2025	−0 mi	Little change	80%
Drug overdose deaths	14.7 /100k2020	11.8 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−20%	Improved	44%
Effective property tax rate	1.03%2015-2019	0.81%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	77%
Firearm deaths	13.3 /100k2020	11.2 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−16%	Improved	76%
Grocery stores	1.1 /10k2020	1.1 /10k2025	+3.5%	Little change	64%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.2 /10k2020	1.2 /10k2025	+5%	Improved	53%
High school diploma or higher	86.3%2015-2019	87.2%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	25%
Home price to income ratio	4.2×2015-2019	5.4×2020-2024	+1.2×	Declined	7%
Homicide rate	2.6 /100k2020	2.2 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−15%	Improved	38%
Income adjusted for local prices	$43,4802019	$57,4502024	+32%	Improved	54%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4272015-2019	0.4402020-2024	+0.012	Declined	25%
Median household income	$60,1782015-2019	$78,9002020-2024	+31%	Improved	71%
New business applications	8.0 /1k2020	12.3 /1k2025	+54%	Improved	62%
Pharmacies	0.9 /10k2020	0.8 /10k2025	−13%	Declined	39%
Poverty rate	13.9%2015-2019	13.0%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	50%
Property crime rate	2,897 /100k2020	1,793 /100k2025	−38%	Improved	61%
Public libraries	0.3 /10k2019	0.2 /10k2024	−2.3%	Little change	44%
Public transit commuters	1.5%2015-2019	1.1%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Declined	38%
Rent as share of income	29.8%2015-2019	31.6%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Declined	24%
Rent-burdened households	49.5%2015-2019	53.2%2020-2024	+3.7 points	Declined	27%
Restaurants and bars	9.4 /10k2020	9.9 /10k2025	+4.8%	Little change	66%
Suicide rate	17.3 /100k2020	17.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−1.8%	Little change	65%
Traffic deaths	11.7 /100k2015-2019	13.4 /100k2020-2024	+15%	Declined	36%
Unemployment rate	6.8%2020	5.0%2025	−1.8 points	Improved	16%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.8%2015-2019	9.3%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Violent crime rate	280 /100k2020	289 /100k2025	+3%	Little change	23%

“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, OR metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Salem, OR metro 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, OR metro area itself moved −2.5 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

438,906 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

159,856 households (±874)

Salem, OR metro area
United States share

Under $25k14%21,781
$25k–50k17%26,568
$50k–75k18%28,020

Homes

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

Owners and renters

159,856 households (±874)

Salem, OR metro area
United States share

Own63%100,397
Rent37%59,459

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+1.3 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

199,723 workers (±2,297)

Salem, OR metro area
United States share

Drive alone69%138,606
Carpool11%22,580
Public transit1.1%2,146

Jobs and pay

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

The 10 largest occupations in Salem, OR employ 42,520 people. 9 pay a median above the US median and 1 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Salem, OR by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Home Health and Personal Care Aides7,040 jobs	7,040	$45,200US $35,800	+26%	1.35×
Fast Food and Counter Workers5,880 jobs	5,880

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, OR has 10,763 employer establishments, 245 for every 10,000 residents (0.98× the US rate of 248), with 133,058 paid employees at an average annual pay of $51,241. The Census Bureau also counts 27,525 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 10,763; 27,525 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 245; US 248
Paid employees: 133,058
Average annual pay: $51,241; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	1,073	24.4	1.57×More than typical	8,405	$67,486	1,301
Restaurants and other eating places	782	17.8	0.97×About typical	12,716	$23,471	186
Ambulatory health care services	758	17.2	0.83×About typical	9,208	$73,797	1,267
Construction of buildings	675	15.3	2.03×More than typical	2,932	$55,344	903
Lessors of real estate	535	12.2	0.99×About typical	1,945	$42,488	3,002
Services to buildings and dwellings	417	9.5	1.41×More than typical	2,397	$40,081	1,371
Building finishing contractors	382	8.7	2.28×More than typical	2,163	$55,069	479
Full-service restaurants	330	7.5	0.98×About typical	4,866	$26,114	58
Limited-service restaurants	330	7.5	0.93×About typical	6,291	$22,019	92
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	288	6.5	2.08×More than typical	2,274	$62,199	207
Offices of other health practitioners	287	6.5	1.07×About typical	1,379	$48,708	656
Landscaping services	251	5.7	1.63×More than typical	1,538	$44,369	454

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 440,104 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 $61.1M on contracts performed in Salem, OR metro area: $137 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $61.1M; −34% vs FY2025
Per resident: $137; US $1,994
Sole-source: 37%; US 30%
Single offer: 21%; 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

Department of the Army$15.4M25%
Forest Service$13.9M23%
Defense Logistics Agency$11M18%
Agricultural Marketing Service$5.5M9.0%
Bureau of Land Management$4.6M7.5%
Indian Health Service$2.5M4.2%
Federal Prison Industries / Unicor$2M3.2%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$1.6M2.6%

Top recipients

COLUMBIA HELICOPTERS, INC.$25.8M42%
EPIC AVIATION, LLC$11M18%
INN FOODS, INC.$5.5M9.0%
911 CIRCUITS LLC$1.9M3.2%
INTEGRATED MEDICAL SOLUTIONS, LLC$1.6M2.6%

Spending by fiscal year

115.6MFY2017
177.2MFY2018
127MFY2019
111.8MFY2020
101.8MFY2021
217.1MFY2022
130.7MFY2023
108.2M

Top industries (NAICS)

Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$14.1M23%
Nonscheduled air transportation · 4812$11.7M19%
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing · 3241$11M18%
Fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty food manufacturing · 3114$5.5M9.0%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$3.1M5.1%
Support activities for forestry · 1153$2.5M

Part of this section could not be loaded in time.

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 $2.7B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Salem, OR metro area: $6,106 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $2.7B; −11% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,106; US $12,955
Loan face value: $168.7M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.3%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$1.7B61%
93.640 · Basic Health Program (Affordable Care ACT)$222.7M8.2%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$212.9M7.8%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$182.2M6.7%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$127.6M4.7%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$78.1M2.9%
14.871 · Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers$54M2.0%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$28M1.0%

Top recipients (organizations)

SALEM HOUSING AUTHORITY$38.7M1.4%
SALEM, OR
CHEMEKETA COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT$20.9M0.8%
SALEM, OR
OREGON DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$15.6M0.6%
SALEM, OR
CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF GRAND RONDE COMMUNITY OF OREGON$13.5M0.5%
GRAND RONDE, OR
MARION COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY

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$2.1B76%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$245.6M9.0%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$222.7M8.2%
Department of Health and Human Services
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$64M2.3%
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of Education

Assistance by fiscal year

2.4BFY2021
2.2BFY2022
2.3BFY2023
2.5BFY2024
3.1BFY2025
2.7BFY2026

County aggregates

93%

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, OR

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

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

SalemPrincipal city178,865

Largest cities and towns

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

Other metro and micro areas in Oregon

Areas based in Oregon, 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
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M41420

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved14

Declined7

Metro and micro areas like Salem, OR metro 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)

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Salem, OR

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Oregon

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved14

Declined7

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

Look up any occupation

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)

What was bought