Population
Wilmington
118,578
Salem
176,666
Median Income
Wilmington
$63,900
Salem
$71,900
Home Value
Wilmington
$350,300
Salem
$382,400
Rent
Wilmington
$1,311
Salem
$1,323
Crime Rate
Wilmington
4.85
Salem
5.34
Cost of Living
Wilmington
118.9
Salem
129.4
Avg Temp
Wilmington
N/A
Salem
N/A
Unemployment
Wilmington
4.6%
Salem
5.3%
How Similar Are Wilmington & Salem?
Salem is Wilmington's #15 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Wilmington
118,578
Salem
176,666
Salem has a 33% larger population than Wilmington.
Violent Crime
Wilmington
4.85
Salem
5.34
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 9% difference.
Property Crime
Wilmington
35.15
Salem
28.03
Wilmington has a 20% higher property crime than Salem.
Political Leaning
Wilmington
49.1%
Salem
49.5%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 1% difference.
Unemployment
Wilmington
4.6%
Salem
5.3%
Salem has a 12% higher unemployment than Wilmington.
Median Income
Wilmington
$63,900
Salem
$71,900
Salem has a 11% higher median income than Wilmington.
Home Values
Wilmington
$350,300
Salem
$382,400
Both cities have similar home values — just a 8% difference.
Education
Wilmington
30.9%
Salem
21.0%
Wilmington has a 32% higher education than Salem.
Demographics
Wilmington
72.9%
Salem
69.8%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 4% difference.
Cost of Living
Wilmington
118.9
Salem
129.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 8% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Wilmington and Salem share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Wilmington
0
Salem
Salem leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Wilmington leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDSalem has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,201 vs $1,513 in Wilmington (26% lower). Wilmington scores 97.7 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 109.9 in Salem. Wilmington scores 153.8 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 167.5 in Salem.
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 9.9% in Wilmington. Wilmington has a median property tax of $2,521 vs $3,936 in Salem (36% lower). Salem has a owner-occupied of 55.7% compared to 46.8% in Wilmington.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Salem leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWilmington has a per capita income of $46,062 vs $36,477 in Salem (26% higher). Wilmington has a work from home of 17.7% compared to 14.0% in Salem. Salem: 86,525 vs Wilmington: 65,405 for labor force.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Salem leads
Source: FBI UCRSalem has a property crime clearance of 15.4% compared to 8.4% in Wilmington. Salem has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 19.66 compared to 28.42 in Wilmington. Salem has a violent crime clearance of 59.4% compared to 40.5% in Wilmington.
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 — Wilmington leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauWilmington has a bachelor's degree or higher of 30.9% compared to 21.0% in Salem. Wilmington has a high school diploma or higher of 43.0% 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 ACSSalem has a population of 176,666, about 1.5x the size of Wilmington (118,578). Salem skews younger with a median age of 35.7 vs 37.5.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Wilmington
Salem
Healthcare — Salem leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareSalem: 4 vs Wilmington: 3 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSalem has a public transit of 1.8% compared to 0.4% in Wilmington. Salem has a bicycle of 1.1% compared to 0.8% in Wilmington. Wilmington has a work from home of 17.7% compared to 14.0% in Salem.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Wilmington, NC
Compare Wilmington 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.