Salem is a somewhat small coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of New Jersey. With a population of 5,325 people and five associated neighborhoods, Salem is the 305th largest community in New Jersey. Salem has a large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic cities in the country.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 12.70% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. 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.

One of the nice things about Salem is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

Despite the fact that it is a small city, Salem has quite a few people who take public transportation – mostly taxis - for their daily commute to work. This helps to fill a real need in the city for affordable transportation.

The rate of college-level education in Salem is quite a bit lower than the national average among all cities of 21.84%: just 12.73% of people here over 25 have a bachelor's degree or an advanced degree.

The per capita income in Salem in 2022 was $24,371, which is low income relative to New Jersey and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $97,484 for a family of four. However, Salem contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Salem also has one of the higher rates of people living in poverty in the nation, with 31.21% of its population below the federal poverty line.

Salem is an extremely 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 Black or African-American, followed by White. Important ancestries of people in Salem include Irish, Italian, German, English, and French.

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