South Salem is a somewhat small town located in the state of New York. With a population of 8,980 people and two associated neighborhoods, South Salem is the 197th largest community in New York.

South Salem home prices are not only among the most expensive in New York, but South Salem real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Of important note, South Salem is also a town of artists. South Salem has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape South Salem’s character.

Also of interest is that South Salem has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 27.39% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

In addition, South Salem is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates". Urban sophisticates are educated, wealthy, executives and professionals, who have urbane tastes in books, food, and travel, whether they actually live in a big city, or choose to reside in a small town. In big or medium-sized cities, urban sophisticates tend to frequent art institutions such as opera, symphonies, ballet, live theatre, and museums.

Because of many things, South Salem is a great place for families with children to consider. First of all, many other families with children live here, making South Salem a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families, as well as find family-oriented services and community. The town’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic values. With regard to real estate, South Salem has a high rate of owner-occupied single family homes, which tends to reflect stability in the local community. Finally, South Salem’s overall crime rate ranks among the lowest in the country, making it one of the safest places to raise a family.

One downside of living in South Salem, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 34.21 minutes every day commuting to work. However, local public transit is widely used. For those who would prefer to avoid driving entirely and leave their car at home, it may be an option to use the transit instead.

In South Salem, a lot of people use the subway to get to work every day though South Salem is a relatively small town. Those that ride the subway are primarily traveling out of town to good jobs in other cities.

Do you like to read, write and learn? If you move to South Salem, you'll likely find that many of your neighbors like to as well. South Salem is one of the more educated communities in America, with a full 71.66% of its adults having a college degree or even advanced degree, compared to a national average across all communities of 21.84%.

The per capita income in South Salem in 2022 was $97,052, which is wealthy relative to New York and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $388,208 for a family of four.

South Salem is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call South Salem home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of South Salem residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in South Salem include Irish, Italian, German, English, and Eastern European.

The most common language spoken in South Salem is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and German/Yiddish.