Salem, Connecticut

Town · population 4,213 (2020 Census)

Median home: $403,600
Household income: $123,245
Jan low / Jul high: 21° / 84°
Snow a year: 30 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 2
Median age: 40.9

Salem is a town of 4,213 people, Connecticut. The median home is worth $403,600, above the typical Connecticut town ($376,000). It ranks easier by car than 97% of Connecticut towns, better for families than 90% of Connecticut towns, more of a college town than 82% of Connecticut towns.

Salem in our rankings:

How Salem ranks

Percentile among Connecticut towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Connecticut towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Salem is worth $403,600, above the typical Connecticut town ($376,000). Homes cost about 3.3 times the median household income of $123,245, which is more affordable than 64% of Connecticut towns. Median rent is $1,440 a month. 86.6% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Connecticut towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Salem	Typical Connecticut town
Median home value	$403,600	$376,000
Median rent	$1,440	$1,462
Median household income	$123,245	$109,167
Home value ÷ income	3.3×	3.6×
Homeownership	86.6%	80.3%
Median year built	1988	1969
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.0%	—

Who lives in Salem

People	Salem	Typical Connecticut town
Median age	40.9	45.0
Age 65 and over	19.7%	20.6%
Under 18	23.2%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	50.6%	45.8%
Below the poverty line	6.2%	5.7%
Veterans	9.9%	—
Born outside the U.S.	5.9%	—
Work from home	18.0%	16.8%
Average commute	31.5 min	27.6 min
Homes with broadband	99.3%	93.8%

Weather in Salem

July highs average 84.1°F and January lows 21.2°F. About 52.2 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 29.6 inches of snow (typical Connecticut town: 39.0 in). Expect about 15 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 124 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Norwich Public Utility Plt station (10.3 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 4 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

2 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Salem since 1950, compared with 8 for the typical Connecticut town. The strongest, an F1, struck on June 16, 2002 about 7.0 miles from the town center. The most recent was on June 16, 2002.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 16 times; the largest was 1.75 inches on June 29, 2020.

Public schools in Salem

1 public school with 383 students, about 12.0 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
Salem Elementary School	PK-8	383	12.0

Towns near Salem

Montville, CT
5.6 mi · 18,387 people · home $285,600
Colchester, CT
6.5 mi · 15,555 people · home $366,800
East Haddam, CT
7.0 mi · 8,875 people · home $352,700
Colchester, CT
7.2 mi · 4,700 people · home $294,600
Oxoboxo River, CT
7.5 mi · 2,955 people · home $246,200
East Lyme, CT
9.3 mi · 18,693 people · home $412,600
Norwich, CT
9.6 mi · 40,125 people · home $242,300
Lebanon, CT
10.0 mi · 7,142 people · home $345,900

Salem questions

Is Salem, Connecticut a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Salem scores better for retirees than 67% of Connecticut towns and quieter than 50%. 19.7% of residents are 65 or older (median age 40.9).

How much does a house cost in Salem?

The median owner-occupied home in Salem is valued at $403,600 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $123,245, so homes cost about 3.3 times income. Median rent is $1,440 a month.

What is the weather like in Salem?

July highs average 84.1°F and January lows 21.2°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 52.2 inches of precipitation a year and 29.6 inches of snow.

Does Salem get tornadoes?

2 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Salem since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F1 on June 16, 2002. The typical Connecticut town has had 8.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Salem's Census boundary (GEOID 0918066210). Comparisons use the median of Connecticut towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.