South Salem is a somewhat small town located in the state of New York. With a population of 9,045 people and two associated neighborhoods, South Salem is the 197th largest community in New York.

South Salem home prices are not only among the most expensive in New York, but South Salem real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Of important note, South Salem is also a town of artists. South Salem has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape South Salem’s character.

Also of interest is that South Salem has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

A relatively large number of people in South Salem telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 26.15% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

In addition, South Salem is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates", which are people who are not only wealthy and employed in professional occupations, but highly educated to boot. Urban sophisticates have urbane tastes - whether they reside in a big or small city, a suburb, or a little town. Urban sophisticates support bookstores, quality clothing stores, enjoy luxury travel, and in big cities, they are truly the patrons of the arts, attending and supporting institutions such as opera, symphony, ballet, and theatre.

Because of many things, South Salem is a very good place for families to consider. With an enviable combination of good schools, low crime, college-educated neighbors who tend to support education because of their own experiences, and a high rate of home ownership in predominantly single-family properties, South Salem really has some of the features that families look for when choosing a good community to raise children. Is South Salem perfect? Of course not, and if you like frenetic nightlife, it will be far from your cup of tea. But overall this is a solid community, with many things to recommend it as a family-friendly place to live.

One downside of living in South Salem is that it can take a long time to commute to work. In South Salem, the average commute to work is 34.65 minutes, which is quite a bit higher than the national average. On the other hand, local public transit is widely used in the town, so leaving the car at home and taking transit is often a viable alternative.

Even though South Salem is a smaller town, it has many people who hop on public transportation – mostly the train for their daily commute to work. Typically, these people are commuting to good jobs in the surrounding cities.

Do you like to read, write and learn? If you move to South Salem, you'll likely find that many of your neighbors like to as well. South Salem is one of the more educated communities in America, with a full 70.89% of its adults having a college degree or even advanced degree, compared to a national average across all communities of 21.84%.

The per capita income in South Salem in 2022 was $88,003, which is wealthy relative to New York and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $352,012 for a family of four.

South Salem is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call South Salem home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of South Salem residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in South Salem include Irish, Italian, German, English, and Polish.

The most common language spoken in South Salem is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and German/Yiddish.