Salem is a medium-sized coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Massachusetts. With a population of 44,722 people and nine associated neighborhoods, Salem is the 31st largest community in Massachusetts. Much of the housing stock in Salem was built prior to World War II, making it one of the older and more historic cities in the country.

Housing costs in Salem are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in Massachusetts.

Also of interest is that 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 Salem telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 15.52% 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.

Salem, while not large, also appears to be attractive to some younger, educated professionals, who help shape the character of the city.

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

Although the majority of commuting trips in the city are by private automobile, Salem is somewhat unusual for a city of its size for having a substantial number of people who use public transportation. For a lot of people, the train helps to get to and from their jobs every morning, which benefits everyone in the Salem area by reducing both traffic and air pollution.

The citizens of Salem are among the most well-educated in the nation: 48.25% of adults in Salem have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree, whereas the average US city has 21.84% holding at least a bachelor's degree.

The per capita income in Salem in 2022 was $46,919, which is lower middle income relative to Massachusetts, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $187,676 for a family of four. However, Salem contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Salem is a very ethnically-diverse city. 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. Salem also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 19.02% of the city’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Salem include Irish, Italian, English, German, and French.

The most common language spoken in Salem is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Portuguese.