IntelliMoveTake the quiz →
Small town

Living in Salem, WV

Salem is a small town of 1,629 people in Harrison County, West Virginia. It's about 41 miles from Morgantown, WV and 86 miles from Pittsburgh, PA, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 84°F and winter highs 39°F, with about 24 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $78k and rent runs about $525 a month.

1,629people
$78kTypical home
$525/moRent
84° / 39°Summer / winter
24"Snow
196Sunny days
155Rain/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.

Take the quiz →Open in the app

Size & setting

  • Small town of 1,629
  • A standalone small town, not a suburb
  • About 1,217 people per sq mi
  • 86 mi to Pittsburgh, PA
  • 41 mi to Morgantown, WV
  • 11 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $78k (≈$491/mo)
  • Median rent $525/mo
  • Median household income $39k
  • Property tax about 0.6% of value
  • 4.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 84°F
  • Winter highs around 39°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 62°F)
  • 196 sunny days a year (59 totally clear)
  • 169 cloudy days a year
  • 58 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 155 days a year with rain or snow
  • 24" of snow a year
  • 9 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 12 nights a year below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (132 per 100k), county-wide
  • Low property crime (954 per 100k), county-wide

People

  • Median age 33
  • 22% of households have kids
  • 17% are 65 or older
  • 17% have a college degree
  • Not very diverse
  • 16% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 23 min
  • 11% walk or take transit to work
  • 18 mi to CKB airport
  • 85 mi to PIT (major hub)
  • 73 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 68% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1956
  • 75% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Gently rolling terrain
  • Elevation 1,207 ft
  • 182 mi to the ocean
  • 148 mi to a big lake
  • 5 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 57 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 18 mi to the nearest campground
  • 13 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 70 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 7 bars within 25 mi
  • 14 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 7 museums within 25 mi
  • No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 27 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 24% of West Virginia districts (reading)
  • 10 mi to the nearest grocery store
  • 10 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 18 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 13 mi to the nearest vet
  • 11 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 12 congregations per 10k people
  • 12 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Harrison County: R+41 in 2024
  • West Virginia: R+42 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very 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
  • Low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Salem

More places in West Virginia →