A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Salem$2,630/mo

Typical home $435K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.96% · or rent about $1,400/mo · Housing →

Gresham$2,790/mo

Typical home $465K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.91% · or rent about $1,586/mo · Housing →

The difference: $160 a month, about $1,900 a year, between Gresham and Salem.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Salem places higher on 14 of 23 OR lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Oregon ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety

DSalemSafer than 12% of U.S. towns C−GreshamSafer than 16% of U.S. towns

Schools

B−SalemBetter than 48% of districts in the state B−GreshamBetter than 45% of districts in the state

Health

B−SalemHealthier than 47% of U.S. towns B−GreshamHealthier than 47% of U.S. towns

14Salem

9Gresham

Lists won, of 23 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Lowest obesityHealth · 147 towns #128#20 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 147 towns #104#42 Fewest smokersHealth · 147 towns #48#109 Lowest depressionHealth · 147 towns #78#136 Shortest commuteGetting around · 147 towns #62#110 Most new homesHousing · 82 towns #35#61 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 65 towns #38#57 Most educatedPeople · 147 towns #53#88

Left end = #1 in Oregon. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Salem’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

SalemGresham

Snow a year1″3″

January low35°F 37°F

July high80°F 82°F

Growing season (days)227d 251d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)56th 57th

Outdoors & history

SalemGresham

Trails55 mi 19 mi

Conserved land6.9%15.8%

Settled1842 1905

National Register places70 10

Archive photos12 —

Community

SalemGresham

Library hours a week44 hrs 57 hrs

Colleges in town2 1

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 1

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

49 miles apart

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

SalemOR GreshamOR

Salem ↔ Gresham49 miles apart

Who commutes between them

929 Gresham residents work in Salem (1.9% of its workers)

Work & commute in Gresham →

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs Oregon average

SalemGresham

People

Population 178,865Highest 112,378Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +13.5%Highest OR: +10.6% +8.2%Lowest OR: +10.6%

Median age 36±0.6Lowest 11% below OR 37±1Highest 8% below OR

Gresham and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 22.8%±0.9Highest OR: 19.9% 22.7%±1.3Lowest OR: 19.9%

Salem and Gresham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 15.8%±0.7Highest OR: 19.1% 15.1%±0.9Lowest OR: 19.1%

Salem and Gresham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 31.5%Highest OR: 36.8% 23.3%Lowest OR: 36.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.4%±0.5Highest OR: 5.7% 5.3%±1.1Lowest OR: 5.7%

Salem and Gresham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $75,487±$2kLowest 9% below OR $77,795±$4kHighest 6% below OR

Gresham and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $416,900±$6kLowest 13% below OR $458,700±$5kHighest 4% below OR

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,400±$29Lowest 8% below OR $1,586±$37Highest 4% above OR

Property taxmedian, yearly $4,007Lowest 3% above OR $4,174Highest 8% above OR

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 54.9%±3.4Lowest OR: 52.5% 59%±4.3Highest OR: 52.5%

Gresham and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 14.4%Highest OR: 11.9% 13%Lowest OR: 11.9%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 55.9%Highest OR: 63.3% 55.8%Lowest OR: 63.3%

Typical home builtmedian year 1980Lowest 1 yr older than OR 1981Highest same as OR

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 22 minLowest 4% below OR 26 minHighest 13% above OR

Work from home 15.8%±1.4Highest OR: 19% 13%±1.5Lowest OR: 19%

Salem and Gresham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 49.2%Highest 16.4%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 5.3 miLowest 9.3 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.48Highest 0.75Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Portland (6%)Portland (41%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Gresham2% work in Salem

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 6.9%Lowest 15.8%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 54.5 miHighest 18.6 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.1 miHighest 0.8 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 86Highest 47Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 89.6Lowest 107Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #99 of 121 in OR #96 of 121 in OR

School district Oregon Department of Education · Willamette ESDCentennial SD 28J · Gresham-Barlow SD 10J

High school in town McKay High SchoolCentennial High School

Students per teacherat that high school 24.7Lowest 26.7Highest

Oregon average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Salem neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Salem’s Town Square.

Gresham neighborsTown Square →

T Weaver · 1w

Living in Gresham

1 neighbor in Gresham can answer.

Add a town

Set another town beside Salem and Gresham

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Salem

+ Compare

Hayesville21,246 people · $365K homes

+ Compare

Four Corners16,275 people · $340K homes

+ Compare

Keizer39,082 people · $434K homes

Towns like Salem

+ Compare

Medford86,315 people · $417K homes

+ Compare

Hillsboro108,231 people · $521K homes

+ Compare

Eugene179,591 people · $460K homes

+ Compare

Beaverton97,812 people · $570K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Salem vs Gresham

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $160 more a month in Gresham

Salem places higher on 14 of 23 OR lists

What daily life feels like in each

49 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Living in Gresham

Set another town beside Salem and Gresham

Bordering Salem

Towns like Salem

Post to Salem

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