Salem is a somewhat small coastal city (ie. on the ocean or tidally-influenced rivers) located in the state of New Jersey. With a population of 5,806 people and seven constituent neighborhoods, Salem is the 309th largest community in New Jersey.

When you are in Salem, you'll notice that it is more blue-collar than most other communities in America. 35.5% of Salem's employed work in blue-collar jobs, while America averages only 24.7% that do. Overall, Salem is a city of sales and office workers, service providers, and professionals. There are especially a lot of people living in Salem who work in office and administrative support jobs (16.36%), sales jobs (6.31%), and food service (5.60%).

The city is also nautical, which means that parts of Salem are somewhat historic and bounded by the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and tidal rivers. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

As is often the case in a small city, Salem doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.

Salem Information and Demographics

The citizens of Salem have a very low rate of college education: just 7.86% of people over 25 have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree, compared to a national average of 14.96% for all cities.

The per capita income in Salem in 2000 was $13,559, which is low income relative to New Jersey and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $54,236 for a family of four.

Salem is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Salem home come from a variety of different races and ancestries. The most prevalent race in Salem is African-American, followed by White. Important ancestries of people in Salem include German, English, Italian, and Irish.

The most common language spoken in Salem is English. Some people also speak Spanish.