Town Hall · Salem

Salem, WV town hall & government

Salem spent $3.6 million in the year to June 30, 2024, about $2,433 per resident.

Where the money goes, where it comes from, property taxes, and how to reach Salem's government.

Town budget

Where Salem's money goes

Spent
$3.6 million
fiscal year to June 30, 2024
Per resident
$2,433
typical West Virginia cities: $2,159
Long-term debt
$2.6 million
$1,765 per resident
Water & other utilities
$1.2 million32%
Police
$836,00023%
Sewer & trash
$818,00022%
Administration & buildings
$463,00013%
Fire
$135,0004%
Interest on debt
$101,0003%
Parks & libraries
$91,0003%
Roads & transportation
$39,0001%

Where the money comes from

  • Fees & charges 43%
  • Utility sales 22%
  • Property taxes 13%
  • Interest, fines & other 12%
  • From the federal government 8%
  • From the state 1%
  • Other taxes & licenses <1%
Town workforce · Census estimate

Who works for Salem

Full-time staff
13
14 part-time too
Average full-time pay
$39,300
a year, before benefits
Sworn police officers
1
full-time, with power of arrest
Administration & buildings
3 full-time11 part
Roads & transportation
5 full-time
Sewer & trash
2 full-time
Water & other utilities
2 full-time
Police
1 full-time1 part
Courts, inspections & corrections
0 full-time2 part

Staff on the town's payroll in March 2022. Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it's approximate. Salem didn't report its staffing to the Census Bureau, so these are the Bureau's estimates.

Schools · school year 2023–24

Harrison County School District

Salem's K–12 school district, shared with Anmoore, Bridgeport, Clarksburg, Lost Creek, Lumberport and Nutter Fort. It is its own government, with a budget separate from the town's.

Spending per pupil
$15,580
West Virginia: $15,637
Students
9,724
in the whole district
Long-term debt
None
at year end

Where the district's money comes from West Virginia districts overall: 36% local, 46% state, 18% federal

  • Local 38%
  • State 42%
  • Federal 20%

Of the $15,580 per pupil, $9,169 goes to classroom instruction (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to support services such as buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren't in the per-pupil figure.

Property tax

What homeowners in Salem pay

Typical tax bill
$484
a year · West Virginia typical $865
Effective rate
0.62%
of home value · West Virginia 0.53%
Typical home value
$77,800
owner-occupied

The median yearly bill homeowners report, covering every local property tax on the home (town, schools, county). The effective rate is that bill divided by the median home value, so it's a rough guide, not the official tax rate. In a town this small the survey estimate has a wide margin.

Local

Contact Salem's government

Town hall & decisions in Salem →

Beyond town hall

Who represents Salem

Salem is represented in Congress by Senators Shelley Moore Capito and James C. Justice and Representative Riley M. Moore. Patrick Morrisey is governor.

All of Salem's representatives, with contacts →

Budget: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Finance (every city and town government's revenue, spending and debt, grouped into plain categories). Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates.

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Salem

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