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Mid-size city

Living in Salem, OR

Salem is a mid-size city of 178,865 people in Marion County, Oregon. It's part of the Salem, OR area. Summer highs average 83°F and winter highs 48°F, with about 6 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $417k and rent runs about $1k a month.

178,865people
$417kTypical home
$1,400/moRent
83° / 48°Summer / winter
6"Snow
191Sunny days
148Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Mid-size city of 178,865
  • Part of a metro area
  • About 3,654 people per sq mi
  • 46 mi to Portland, OR
  • In the Salem, OR area
  • Has its own stores and services

Money

  • Typical home $417k (≈$2,629/mo)
  • Median rent $1,400/mo
  • Median household income $75k
  • Property tax about 1.0% of value
  • 6.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 83°F
  • Winter highs around 48°F
  • Comfortable summers (dew point 54°F)
  • 191 sunny days a year (82 totally clear)
  • 174 cloudy days a year
  • 66 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 148 days a year with rain or snow
  • 6" of snow a year
  • 2 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • 2 days a year over 100°F
  • Rarely drops below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • About average violent crime (419 per 100k)
  • Above-average property crime (2,312 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 36
  • 32% of households have kids
  • 16% are 65 or older
  • 32% have a college degree
  • Very diverse community
  • 6% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 24 min
  • 5% walk or take transit to work
  • 1 mi to SLE airport
  • 50 mi to PDX (major hub)
  • 112 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 62% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1980
  • 92% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Gently rolling terrain
  • Elevation 180 ft
  • 49 mi to the ocean
  • 167 mi to a big lake
  • 21 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 66 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 11 mi to the nearest campground
  • 20 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 455 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 106 bars within 25 mi
  • 166 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • 1 music venue or club within 25 mi
  • 29 museums within 25 mi
  • 9 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • Farmers market in town

Everyday

  • Schools in the bottom 27% of Oregon districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 2 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 20 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 2 mi to the nearest vet
  • 2 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 6 congregations per 10k people
  • College in town

Politics

  • Marion County: Purple — split almost evenly
  • Oregon: D+14 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • Very low tornado risk
  • Very low wildfire risk
  • High earthquake risk
  • Very low flood risk
  • Very low drought risk
  • High winter storm risk
  • Moderate heat wave risk
  • High volcano risk

Places near Salem

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