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. Salem has a large stock of pre-World War II architecture, 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. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.

For the size of the city, public transportation in Salem is quite heavily used. Mostly, people who use it for their daily commute are taking the train. For Salem, the benefits are reduced air pollution and congestion on the highways.

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.