Population
Raleigh
470,763
Salem
176,666
Median Income
Raleigh
$82,424
Salem
$71,900
Home Value
Raleigh
$377,800
Salem
$382,400
Rent
Raleigh
$1,468
Salem
$1,323
Crime Rate
Raleigh
4.89
Salem
5.34
Cost of Living
Raleigh
137.5
Salem
129.4
Avg Temp
Raleigh
N/A
Salem
N/A
Unemployment
Raleigh
4.5%
Salem
5.3%
How Similar Are Raleigh & Salem?
Salem is Raleigh's #21 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Raleigh
470,763
Salem
176,666
Raleigh (470,763) is about 2.7x larger than Salem (176,666).
Violent Crime
Raleigh
4.89
Salem
5.34
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 9% difference.
Property Crime
Raleigh
28.19
Salem
28.03
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 1% difference.
Political Leaning
Raleigh
36.4%
Salem
49.5%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Salem has a stronger Democratic lean (27% difference).
Unemployment
Raleigh
4.5%
Salem
5.3%
Salem has a 14% higher unemployment than Raleigh.
Median Income
Raleigh
$82,424
Salem
$71,900
Raleigh has a 13% higher median income than Salem.
Home Values
Raleigh
$377,800
Salem
$382,400
Both cities have similar home values — just a 1% difference.
Education
Raleigh
36.1%
Salem
21.0%
Raleigh has a 42% higher education than Salem.
Demographics
Raleigh
53.8%
Salem
69.8%
Salem has a 23% higher demographics than Raleigh.
Cost of Living
Raleigh
137.5
Salem
129.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 6% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Raleigh and Salem share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Raleigh
0
Salem
Salem leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Salem leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDSalem has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,201 vs $1,596 in Raleigh (33% lower). Salem scores 109.9 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 126.0 in Raleigh. Salem has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,560 vs $1,750 in Raleigh (12% lower).
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Salem leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSalem has a vacancy rate of 4.2% compared to 9.8% in Raleigh. Raleigh has a median property tax of $2,862 vs $3,936 in Salem (27% lower). Salem has a median rent of $1,323 vs $1,468 in Raleigh (11% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Raleigh leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSRaleigh: 272,502 vs Salem: 86,525 for labor force. Raleigh has a work from home of 23.4% compared to 14.0% in Salem. Raleigh has a per capita income of $49,948 vs $36,477 in Salem (37% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety
Source: FBI UCRSalem has a violent crime clearance of 59.4% compared to 12.7% in Raleigh. Salem has a property crime clearance of 15.4% compared to 5.5% in Raleigh. Raleigh has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 2.79 compared to 4.42 in Salem.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Raleigh leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauRaleigh has a bachelor's degree or higher of 36.1% compared to 21.0% in Salem. Raleigh has a high school diploma or higher of 47.0% compared to 36.0% in Salem.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSRaleigh has a population of 470,763, about 2.7x the size of Salem (176,666). Raleigh skews younger with a median age of 34.7 vs 35.7.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Raleigh
Salem
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareRaleigh: 4.7 vs Salem: 2.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Salem: 4 vs Raleigh: 3 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Salem leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSRaleigh has a work from home of 23.4% compared to 14.0% in Salem. Salem has a bicycle of 1.1% compared to 0.4% in Raleigh. Salem has a public transit of 1.8% compared to 1.3% in Raleigh.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Raleigh, NC
Compare Raleigh against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.