IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Salem, NC
Salem is a small town of 2,377 people in Burke County, North Carolina. It's about 21 miles from Hickory, NC and 60 miles from Charlotte, NC, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 88°F and winter highs 49°F, with about 4 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $159k and rent runs about $856 a month.
2,377people
$159kTypical home
$856/moRent
88° / 49°Summer / winter
4"Snow
244Sunny days
121Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Small town of 2,377
- Part of a metro area
- About 554 people per sq mi
- 60 mi to Charlotte, NC
- 21 mi to Hickory, NC
- 3 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $159k (≈$1,003/mo)
- Median rent $856/mo
- Median household income $69k
- Property tax about 0.6% of value
- 7.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 88°F
- Winter highs around 49°F
- Muggy summers (dew point 64°F)
- 244 sunny days a year (101 totally clear)
- 121 cloudy days a year
- 36 of 90 winter days are gray
- 121 days a year with rain or snow
- 4" of snow a year
- 1 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 2 nights a year below 10°F
- Usually calm
Safety
- Very low violent crime (134 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (746 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 41
- 29% of households have kids
- 27% are 65 or older
- 23% have a college degree
- Mixed community
- 9% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 23 min
- 1% walk or take transit to work
- 51 mi to AVL airport
- 54 mi to CLT (major hub)
- 53 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 72% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1980
- 84% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Hilly terrain
- Elevation 1,198 ft
- 211 mi to the ocean
- 100 mi to a big lake
- 20 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 31 mi to the nearest ski area
- 6 mi to the nearest campground
- 9 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 226 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 12 bars within 25 mi
- 67 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 18 museums within 25 mi
- 9 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 3 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 44% of North Carolina districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 5 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 5 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 2 mi to the nearest vet
- 4 mi to the nearest dog park
- 13 congregations per 10k people
- 19 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Burke County: R+41 in 2024
- North Carolina: R+3 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Low hurricane risk
- Moderate tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Low earthquake risk
- Moderate flood risk
- Moderate drought risk
- Moderate winter storm risk
- Very low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk