Salem, Virginia

Population

Growing. Up 1.6% since 2020.

25,816

people, the 23rd-largest of Virginia's cities and towns.

Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Virginia's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates

The workday

9 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.

86.6%

of 21,974 jobs located in Salem are filled by in-commuters.

Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

Unemployment, 2026

The low came in April: 3.1%.

3.5%

in August 2026, the latest month released. A year earlier it was 3.5%.

BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, monthly, through August 2026. Not seasonally adjusted, so compare with the same month a year earlier. Sources: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics

Rent

Median rent is up 64% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.

$1,133

a month. Virginia's median is $1,579.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

The seam

Cross one tract line and median rent jumps $285.

A $285 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Salem city.

• $961 Tract 105.02
• $1,246 Tract 103

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Room to build

The median rent sits inside what local wages can carry.

$1,125–$1,687

is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

• $1,133 median

Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year

Building

Most of the housing here is older than 2000.

• 437 homes permitted, 2022–2025
• 78% of those were in multifamily buildings
• 90% of all homes were built before 2000

Census Building Permits Survey, 2022–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year

Units needed

Closing the gap would add 0.4–2.0% to the 11,112 homes here.

40–220

is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.

Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac

Home value

A median home costs 33% less than Virginia's.

$258,600

median home value in Salem.

• $258,600 Salem
• $383,700 Virginia
• $332,700 U.S.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year