Because there are quite a few people attending college in Salem, it is thought of as a college town. To the benefit of the many students in the area, Salem provides a number of services, amenities and opportunities geared towards their needs and activities.
The percentage of adults in Salem who are college-educated is close to the national average for all communities of 21.84%: 18.24% of the adults in Salem have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree.
The per capita income in Salem in 2022 was $20,352, which is low income relative to West Virginia and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $81,408 for a family of four. However, Salem contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
The people who call Salem home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Salem residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Salem include German, English, Irish, Italian, and Scots-Irish.
The most common language spoken in Salem is English. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and West Germanic languages.
