Virginia · Census place 5170000

Salem, Virginia

Salem is a city in Salem city, Virginia with an estimated 25,908 residents on July 1, 2024. It is the 23rd largest of 137 incorporated places of 1,000+ people in the state.

Population 2024
25,908
#23 of 137 in Virginia
Change since 2020
+2.0%
+512 people
Land area
14.5 sq mi
+ 0.11 sq mi water
Density
1,784 / sq mi
State median 1,784
Orange pin: Salem. Shaded: its county. Dark pin: Richmond.

Salem population, 2020 to 2024

Salem added 512 residents from July 2020 to July 2024, a change of +2.0%. In the latest year it moved by +239. Among 63 Virginia places of 5,000 or more, that growth ranks 29th; the median place changed by +1.7%. The median place of 5,000+ in Virginia has 16,562 people, so Salem is 1.6 times that size.

25.4k202025.4k202125.7k202225.7k202325.9k2024
July 1 estimates. The April 2020 estimates base was 25,341. The axis starts above zero so yearly changes are visible.

Salem covers 14.52 square miles of land and 0.11 of water, for 1,784 people per square mile of land. The median Virginia place of 5,000+ has 1,784, so Salem is close to the typical town.

What county Salem is in

All of Salem's residents live in Salem city, which had 25,908 residents in 2024. Salem holds 100.0% of the county's population. The shaded shape is on the map above; dots mark the eight nearest places.

ZIP codes in Salem

1 ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) overlaps Salem by at least 10% of the ZCTA's or the city's land: 24153. ZCTAs are Census approximations of USPS ZIP code delivery areas. The list comes from the 2020 ZCTA to place relationship file, so a city that annexed land after 2020 may reach into ZIP codes not listed here.

Where Salem is

The Census internal point of Salem is at 37.285300, -80.055200. Richmond, the capital, is 144.9 miles E in a straight line. The nearest larger place is Roanoke, VA (97,912 people), 5.3 miles away. The nearest city of 100,000 or more is Winston-Salem, NC, 82.5 miles away.

Internal point

Decimal
37.285300, -80.055200
DMS
37°17'7.08"N 80°03'18.72"W
UTM
17N 583750.5E 4126940.7N
Geohash
dnxh479dd
Plus code
869X7WPV+4W

Daylight in Salem

At 37.29° N, Salem gets about 14 h 44 min of daylight around the June solstice and 9 h 36 min around the December solstice, a swing of 5 h 08 min. Figures are sunrise to sunset from the SunCalc model for June 21 and December 21, 2026.

Places near Salem

The eight nearest incorporated places of 1,000+ in Virginia, measured between internal points. The closest is Roanoke, 5.4 miles away, with 97,912 people.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Salem, VA?

25,908 on July 1, 2024, in the Census Vintage 2024 estimates. That is up 512 (2.0%) from 25,396 in July 2020.

What county is Salem in?

Salem city. All of its residents live in that county.

What ZIP codes cover Salem?

1 ZIP Code Tabulation Area overlaps it by at least 10% of either area: 24153.

How far is Salem from Richmond?

144.9 miles (233.2 km) in a straight line, heading E from Salem.

What is the nearest larger city to Salem?

Roanoke, VA, with 97,912 residents, 5.3 miles away between internal points.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates (July 1, 2024), 2024 Gazetteer places, 2020 ZCTA to place relationship file.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
  3. 03Census 2020 ZCTA to place relationship file
  4. 04Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.