Salem is a very small city located in the state of West Virginia. With a population of 1,474 people and three associated neighborhoods, Salem is the 125th largest community in West Virginia. Salem has a large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic cities in the country.

Salem is also a college town, where lots of students live while attending area colleges. Because of the high percentage of people living in Salem enrolled in college, Salem has a number of services, amenities and opportunities geared towards the needs and activities of students.

The citizens of Salem are slightly less educated than the national average of 21.84% for the average city or town: 13.90% of adults in Salem have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree

The per capita income in Salem in 2022 was $21,304, which is low income relative to West Virginia and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $85,216 for a family of four. However, Salem contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

The people who call Salem home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Salem residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Salem include Irish, German, English, Italian, and Scottish.

The most common language spoken in Salem is English. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and West Germanic languages.