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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.

South Salem, NY
Real Estate & Demographic Data






South Salem profile


Living in South Salem



South Salem is a somewhat small town located in the state of New York. With a population of 9,045 people and two associated neighborhoods, South Salem is the 197th largest community in New York.

South Salem home prices are not only among the most expensive in New York, but South Salem real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Of important note, South Salem is also a town of artists. South Salem has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape South Salem’s character.

Also of interest is that South Salem has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 26.15% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. 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.

In addition, South Salem is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates". Urban sophisticates are educated, wealthy, executives and professionals, who have urbane tastes in books, food, and travel, whether they actually live in a big city, or choose to reside in a small town. In big or medium-sized cities, urban sophisticates tend to frequent art institutions such as opera, symphonies, ballet, live theatre, and museums.

Because of many things, South Salem is a very good place for families to consider. With an enviable combination of good schools, low crime, college-educated neighbors who tend to support education because of their own experiences, and a high rate of home ownership in predominantly single-family properties, South Salem really has some of the features that families look for when choosing a good community to raise children. Is South Salem perfect? Of course not, and if you like frenetic nightlife, it will be far from your cup of tea. But overall this is a solid community, with many things to recommend it as a family-friendly place to live.

One downside of living in South Salem is that it can take a long time to commute to work. In South Salem, the average commute to work is 34.65 minutes, which is quite a bit higher than the national average. On the other hand, local public transit is widely used in the town, so leaving the car at home and taking transit is often a viable alternative.

Even though South Salem is a smaller town, it has many people who hop on public transportation – mostly the train for their daily commute to work. Typically, these people are commuting to good jobs in the surrounding cities.

If knowledge is power, South Salem is a pretty powerful place. 70.89% of the adults in South Salem have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in South Salem in 2018 was $88,003, which is wealthy relative to New York and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $352,012 for a family of four.

South Salem is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call South Salem home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of South Salem residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in South Salem include Irish, Italian, German, English, and Polish.

The most common language spoken in South Salem is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and German/Yiddish.


Real Estate in Popular South Salem Neighborhoods

Zip Codes in South Salem, NY