IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Salem, VA
Salem is a small city of 25,618 people in Salem city, Virginia. It's about 5 miles from Roanoke, VA and 127 miles from Raleigh, NC, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 88°F and winter highs 47°F, with about 15 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $259k and rent runs about $1k a month.
25,618people
$259kTypical home
$1,133/moRent
88° / 47°Summer / winter
15"Snow
215Sunny days
121Rain/snow days
Is Salem right for you?
Take the 5-minute quiz and see your match — and how it stacks up against 34,000 other places.
Size & setting
- Small city of 25,618
- Part of a metro area
- About 1,765 people per sq mi
- 127 mi to Raleigh, NC
- 5 mi to Roanoke, VA
- Has its own stores and services
Money
- Typical home $259k (≈$1,631/mo)
- Median rent $1,133/mo
- Median household income $67k
- Property tax about 0.9% of value
- 4.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 88°F
- Winter highs around 47°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 62°F)
- 215 sunny days a year (65 totally clear)
- 150 cloudy days a year
- 49 of 90 winter days are gray
- 121 days a year with rain or snow
- 15" of snow a year
- 4 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 3 nights a year below 10°F
- Usually calm
Safety
- Very low violent crime (153 per 100k)
- Low property crime (1,184 per 100k)
People
- Median age 40
- 27% of households have kids
- 20% are 65 or older
- 33% have a college degree
- Mixed community
- 10% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 20 min
- 5% walk or take transit to work
- 5 mi to ROA airport
- 82 mi to GSO (major hub)
- 6 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 75% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1971
- 91% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Hilly terrain
- Elevation 1,014 ft
- 153 mi to the ocean
- 16 mi to a big lake
- 2 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 51 mi to the nearest ski area
- 7 mi to the nearest campground
- 17 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 333 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 3 bars within 25 mi
- 66 coffee shops within 25 mi
- 3 music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 16 museums within 25 mi
- 8 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 5 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- 2 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 3 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 23 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- Vet in town
- 12 mi to the nearest dog park
- 11 congregations per 10k people
- College in town
Politics
- Salem city: R+19 in 2024
- Virginia: D+6 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Low hurricane risk
- Low tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- High flood risk
- Very low drought risk
- Moderate winter storm risk
- Very low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk