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%

Upper Township$690/mo

Typical home $113K (Census) · tax rate 0.97% · or rent about $805/mo · Housing →

Salem$1,180/mo

Typical home $191K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.12% · or rent about $763/mo · Housing →

The difference: $490 a month, about $5,900 a year, between Salem and Upper Township.

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 12 of 18 OH lists

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

Safety

–Upper TownshipNot graded B−SalemSafer than 49% of U.S. towns

Schools

B−Upper TownshipBetter than 48% of districts in the state –SalemNot graded

Health

D−Upper TownshipHealthier than 3% of U.S. towns C−SalemHealthier than 18% of U.S. towns

6Upper Township

12Salem

Lists won, of 18 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Highest graduation rateSchools · 911 towns #23#820 Lowest depressionHealth · 1041 towns #841#192 Most conserved landOutdoors · 970 towns #340#724 Fewest smokersHealth · 1041 towns #976#668 Lowest obesityHealth · 1041 towns #944#688 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 1041 towns #884#637 HealthiestHealth · 1041 towns #1014#770 Most activeHealth · 1041 towns #984#744

Left end = #1 in Ohio. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Upper Township’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

Upper TownshipSalem

Snow a year6″28″

January low25°F 17°F

July high86°F 83°F

Growing season (days)196d 157d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)81st 3rd

Outdoors & history

Upper TownshipSalem

Trails0 mi 1 mi

Conserved land5.6%1.5%

Settled—1806

National Register places—6

Archive photos2 6

Famous people born here—23

Community

Upper TownshipSalem

Library hours a week54 hrs 65 hrs

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

189 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Upper TownshipLawrence County SalemOH

Upper Township ↔ Salem189 miles apart

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 Ohio average

Upper TownshipSalem

People

Population 14,088Highest 11,758Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -6.3%Lowest OH: +2.3% -3.2%Highest OH: +2.3%

Median age 40.3±2.5Lowest about the OH average 42±4.3Highest 6% above OH

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

Kids under 18 20.9%±2.7Highest OH: 22% 15.7%±2.9Lowest OH: 22%

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

Age 65+ 19.3%±2.4Lowest OH: 18.3% 22.2%±3.6Highest OH: 18.3%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 17.9%Lowest OH: 31.5% 19.8%Highest OH: 31.5%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.7%±0.7Lowest OH: 5.6% 4.2%±1.6Highest OH: 5.6%

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $48,548±$4kHighest 32% below OH $47,073±$8kLowest 34% below OH

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $113,200±$12kLowest 47% below OH $119,400±$13kHighest 44% below OH

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

Rentmedian gross, monthly $805±$94Highest 22% below OH $763±$82Lowest 26% below OH

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,098Lowest 61% below OH $1,343Highest 52% below OH

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 53.6%±8.1Highest OH: 45.9% 51.2%±12.5Lowest OH: 45.9%

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

Below poverty line 22.3%Highest OH: 13.3% 21.3%Lowest OH: 13.3%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 63%Highest OH: 67.2% 57.3%Lowest OH: 67.2%

Typical home builtmedian year 1956Highest 14 yrs older than OH 1954Lowest 16 yrs older than OH

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 22 minHighest 6% below OH 22 minLowest 8% below OH

Work from home 4.9%±2.1Highest OH: 13% 2.9%±2.3Lowest OH: 13%

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

Work in townworking residents 23.2%Lowest 26.4%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.8 miLowest 12.3 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.84Lowest 1.56Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Ironton (20%)Boardman Township (4%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in SalemFew work in Upper Township

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 5.6%Highest 1.5%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 0.2 miLowest 1.1 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.2 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4 4

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 24.5Lowest 50.9Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #545 of 624 in OH—

School district Ironton City School District · Dawson-Bryant Local—

High school in town Ironton High School—

Students per teacherat that high school 18.0 —

Ohio 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.

Upper Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Upper Township’s Town Square.

Salem neighborsTown Square →

T Weaver · 5d

Salem's Hidden Gem

1 neighbor in Salem can answer.

Add a town

Set another town beside Upper Township and Salem

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

Bordering Upper Township

+ Compare

Ironton10,768 people · $107K homes

+ Compare

Hamilton Township2,050 people · $113K homes

+ Compare

Perry Township6,349 people · $145K homes

+ Compare

Coal Grove2,022 people · $95K homes

Towns like Upper Township

+ Compare

Pease Township12,555 people · $101K homes

+ Compare

Bedford12,931 people · $135K homes

+ Compare

Norwalk17,095 people · $163K homes

+ Compare

Coshocton11,068 people · $140K 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.

Upper Township vs Salem

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $490 more a month in Salem

Salem places higher on 12 of 18 OH lists

What daily life feels like in each

189 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Salem's Hidden Gem

Set another town beside Upper Township and Salem

Bordering Upper Township

Towns like Upper Township

Post to Upper Township

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