Salem, NC Employment - Median Household Income, Unemployment Rate

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D+

15%

Income/capita NAT. AVG.

8%

Household income NAT. AVG.

37%

Unemployment NAT. AVG.

Index	Salem	North Carolina	National
Income per capita	$38,214	$40,311	$44,883
Median household income	$75,082	$71,390	$81,333
Median income owner occupied	$85,177	$89,419	$106,172
Median income renter occupied	$0	$45,314	$52,080
Median earnings male	$48,835	$47,759	$54,343
Median earnings female	$43,224	$37,334	$38,439
Unemployment rate	3.1%	5.4%	4.9%
Poverty level	25.8%	16.8%	15.1%

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156 Oakdale Dr

Morganton, NC

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Morganton, NC

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Morganton, NC

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Morganton, NC

Key findings

The income per capita in Salem is 15% lower than the national average
The median household income in Salem is 8% lower than the national average
Male median earnings are 41% higher than female median earnings
The unemployment rate in Salem is 37% lower than the national average
The poverty level in Salem is 71% higher than the national average

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am i middle class

$50,049 $75,082 $150,164

City

$47,588 $71,390 $142,780

State

$54,216 $81,333 $162,666

Nation

According to the PEW research center, the middle class is defined as a range from two thirds (2/3) of the median household income to a multiple of two (2) times the median household income. Displayed above are the city, state and national median household income averages. Simply enter your median household income to determine if your income falls into the middle class or if your household income is considered upper or lower class.

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Salem median earnings by income bracket

Salem employment by industry

Labour Type	Male	Female
Construction industry	6.5%	6.5%
Manufacturing sector	22.0%	22.0%
Financial & insurance services	0.0%	0.0%
Wholesale & retail services	14.7%	14.7%
Public administration	13.8%	13.8%
Transportation, warehousing & utilities	4.3%	4.3%
Education, health & social services	16.8%	16.8%
Other	22.0%	22.0%

Nearby cities with high median household income

City	Population	Household Income	National Avg.
Valdese, NC	4,579	$87,891	8.1%
Drexel, NC	1,794	$84,584	4.0%
Sawmills, NC	5,379	$83,064	2.1%
Gamewell, NC	3,986	$79,600	2.1%
Casar, NC	368	$71,054	12.6%
Salem, NC	1,536	$75,082	7.7%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Household Income	National Avg.
Inverness, CA	1,536	$113,733	39.8%
Salina, OK	1,536	$70,130	13.8%
Newfield, NJ	1,535	$132,906	63.4%
Falls City, OR	1,535	$49,866	38.7%
Catawissa, PA	1,535	$78,100	4.0%
Salem, NC	1,536	$75,082	7.7%

Source: The Salem, NC employment data displayed above is derived from the United States Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) and include 2026 modeled data developed using proprietary methodologies.