Salem, MA: Local News, Events & Neighbors

Salem (, SAY-ləm) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem was one of the most significant seaports for trading commodities in early American history. Prior to the dissolution of county governments in Massachusetts in 1999, it served as one of two county seats for Essex County, alongside Lawrence. Today, Salem is a residential and tourist area that is home to the House of Seven Gables, Salem State University, Pioneer Village, the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, Salem Willows Park, and the Peabody Essex Museum. It features histor…

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From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

How Salem ranks

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#91Most remote workers in MA #100Fastest growing in MA #106Shortest commute in MA All MA rankings →

Town numbers

ZIP code01970, 01971

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Living in Salem

Housing in Salem

$609K▲ 0.6% in a year Typical home value · Zillow

The typical Salem home is worth about $609,000, up 0.6% in a year, 8% below the Massachusetts typical home.

A seller's market

Buyer’sBalancedSeller’s

Days on market20

Sale-to-list100.7%

Sold in May39

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Salem

B⁻

Safety Grade B-

Salem reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 52% report less.

Violent crime per 1,000

Salem 0.7

Massachusetts 3

U.S. 3.3

Property crime per 1,000

Salem 12.7

Massachusetts 10.4

U.S. 15.5

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Schools in Salem

All Salem schools →

D

School Grade D

The public schools Salem’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 87% of Massachusetts’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.

See how Salem’s schools compare in MA →

DistrictSalemSchools13

Witchcraft Heights CElementary · Grades K–5 · 455 students Saltonstall School CElementary · Grades K–8 · 412 students Bates CElementary · Grades PK–5 · 410 students Horace Mann Laboratory CElementary · Grades PK–5 · 293 students Bentley Academy Innovation School DElementary · Grades PK–5 · 286 students Carlton CElementary · Grades K–5 · 247 students

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within MA. Ratings are from neighbors.