Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 34/100
F
Median home value$542,800
Boston $646,300
Median rent$1,836/mo
Boston $2,023/mo
Cost-burdened households44%
Boston 36%
Salem
Essex County44,795 residentsSalem
55
C−
Suburbgrade score
37th of 60 Boston suburbs. Strong on amenities and cost of living, held back by housing & affordability.
55
Boston median 61
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Salem yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 55 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Salem is like to live in, by category
Bars show Salem against Boston. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 40/100
D−
Within-state proficiency10th pct
Boston median 47th pct
Student–teacher ratio11.6
Boston median 11.8
Graduation rate81%
Boston median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 76/100
B
Housing cost index90
Boston 100
Eff. tax rate1.13%
Boston 1.01%
Local sales tax6.25%
Boston median 6.25%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 62/100
C
Mean commute28.5 min
Boston 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes62%
Boston 52%
Transit stops / sq mi16
Boston median 8.1 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 84/100
A−
Restaurants & cafés130
Boston median 51 · within 2 miles
Groceries10
Boston median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks87
Boston median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 50/100
D+
Median household income$85,153
Boston $115,863
Unemployment5.1%
Boston 4.9%
Professional occupations50%
Boston 54%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Salem yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Salem on housing & affordability
Salem's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Wellesley24 mi from SalemA− 76 B Lexington17 mi from SalemB+ 75 B Winchester13 mi from SalemB 73 B Needham23 mi from SalemB 73 B Lynnfield8 mi from SalemB− 67 C+ Newton20 mi from SalemB− 75 B Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Salem
Is Salem, MA a good place to live?
Salem scores 55 out of 100, 37th of 60 Boston suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Salem expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $542,800, 16% below the Boston median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.13%. $1,836/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Salem?
Schools grade D−. The districts serving Salem sit at the 10th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 81% graduation rate and a 11.6 student–teacher ratio. Salem is served by Salem. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Salem?
The mean commute is 28.5 min, with 62% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 22% working from home. Transit density is 16 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Salem?
Within two miles there are 10 groceries, 130 restaurants and cafés and 87 parks, which grades A− on amenities.
Are the homes in Salem old or new?
The median home in Salem was built in 1939 or earlier — older than the Boston median of 1964. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 30% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.