Salem, OR — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Oregon·Salem

Marion County · Salem · population 180,406

Image: Wikipedia · Salem, Oregon

Overview Cost of living Moving guide

View watchlist →

Rising

Momentum score · 0–100

Where Salem stands

At or near all-time high.

Median home $438,754

1-year +0.5%

5-yr CAGR +3.5%

vs 5-yr peak -0.2%

Population +0.7%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly

Lifestyle scores

🚶

Walkability

52/100

Somewhat walkable

Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.

🚉

Public transit

30/100

Minimal transit

Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.

💻

Remote work fit

84/100

Excellent for remote work

Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 23.0

Lean rent

At a 23.0 price-to-rent ratio, the math is starting to lean toward renting in Salem. Owner-occupier ROI requires longer holds and the assumption that prices keep appreciating roughly at the rate of rent.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →

Home YoY

52 · w22%

Home 5-yr CAGR

56 · w22%

Distance from peak

89 · w18%

Population growth

59 · w16%

Rent YoY

49 · w12%

Home 10-yr CAGR

77 · w10%

Long thesis

Salem has held up across the cycle: home values at $438,754 with +3.5% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Salem's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Salem

Salem is a city in Marion County, Oregon, with an estimated population of 180,406. The population grew 0.7% annually from 2020 to 2024, a moderate gain. The median home value in Salem is $438,754 as of 2026-04, up 0.5% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +3.5% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Salem average $1,591 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+0.6%). The composite momentum score is 63 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Held the highs: currently -0.2% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

○The data is the data: Salem has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 2-criteria momentum score on this page.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Salem (Wikipedia)

Salem is the capital city of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood of West Salem is in Polk County.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorJulie Hoy

Area49.581 sq mi

Elevation177 ft

Founded1842

NicknameCherry City

Density3685.98/sq mi

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Marion County right now.

NWS active alerts (OR)Oregon Emergency Management How to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Marion County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Salem

19 tracked · ranked by median home value

1Southwest$530,730+0.0%

2South Gateway$496,728-0.1%

3West Salem$486,148+0.5%

4Sunnyslope$464,296+1.2%

5Morningside$458,576+0.0%

6Northgate$428,595+0.6%

7Faye Wright$425,307+1.5%

8South Central$419,997+0.4%

9Southeast Mill Creek$406,903+0.2%

10North Lancaster$403,621+0.5%

11Four Corners$397,001-0.0%

12East Lancaster$389,685+1.4%

13North East Salem$376,644+0.4%

14Northeast Neighbors$367,852-0.1%

15Lansing$367,790-0.5%

16Grant$353,620-2.2%

17Central Area$352,113-7.8%

18Highland$341,732+0.9%

19Southeast Salem$324,322-2.5%

Cities like Salem

Eugene, OR62 · Rising Medford, OR59 · Stable Springfield, OR62 · Rising Albany, OR63 · Rising

Run the numbers for Salem

ToolCan I afford Salem?Income → city shortlist ToolROI on a Salem rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCR ToolCompare Salem to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 cities ToolSalem cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)

47° / 35°

avg high / low

Summer (Jul)

82° / 53°

avg high / low

Sunny days/yr

178

~49% of year

Annual precip

28″ rain

12″ snow

Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)

Hurricane

Very low

Tornado

Very low

Wildfire

High

Earthquake

High

Flood

Low

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Salem listings on the major real-estate sites.

For rent

Zillow rentals → Apartments.com → Trulia rentals →

For sale

Zillow for sale → Realtor.com →

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Latest news

Challenger Vanessa Nordyke leads incumbent Julie Hoy for Salem mayor in early returns – Oregon Public Broadcasting
OPB · 21h ago
Dave Inbody leads, Deanna Gwyn concedes in race for Salem City Council
Statesman Journal · 1d ago
Progressives take early lead in most Salem City Council races, initial counts show
Salem Reporter · 1d ago
Early primary results for Salem mayor, county commissioners, Oregon Metro Council
KOIN.com · 1d ago
Incumbent Julie Hoy concedes to Vanessa Nordyke in race for Salem mayor
Statesman Journal · 1d ago
UPDATE: Nordyke appears headed to win in Salem mayor’s race
Salem Reporter · 1d ago

Local chatter (Reddit)

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Salem area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

NBAPortland Trail Blazers →

Local economy & environment

Humidity

75%

Very humid climate

Median household income

$80,400

Oregon state median

Top industries (state-level)

Tech (Intel)ManufacturingForestry

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.