Skip to content
Beacon CRE

Salem County, NJ: population growth, jobs and income

Salem County gained 340 residents between 2024 and 2025 (+0.5%).

Salem County had an estimated 66,280 residents in 2025, up 2.3% (1,499 more people) since 2020. That is slower than New Jersey as a whole (+3.0%), and the 15th fastest growth of 21 counties in New Jersey.

Data as of 2025 · updated

See page 1 free (PDF)

14-day full refund · Stripe, Apple Pay or Google Pay · Instant PDF + CSV · Sold by Simply Stats LLC (NC)

How we compute every number · Refund terms

In the Salem County report

One-time $99 PDF: everything on this page for Salem County, ranked against New Jersey and the U.S., plus these figures that are not on the free page:

  • Median gross rent$1,253/mo2020–24
  • Vacant homes, incl. seasonal and second homes10.4%2020–24
  • New homes permitted, last 12 months692025-10/2026-09
  • Rent growth, 5 yearsIn the report
  • Permits in 5+ unit buildingsIn the report
  • IRS income moving in (net AGI)In the report
  • Neighbouring-county comparison tableIn the report

What's inside: 5 pages

  1. 1 Summary, headline numbers and ranks (free preview)
  2. 2 Ranks and the neighbouring-county table
  3. 3 Migration, with IRS mover and income flows
  4. 4 Rent, vacant homes, permits and employers
  5. 5 Every source and the methods
See every page of a sample report

Want Pro for New Jersey? Get notified

Headline numbers

What the numbers say

Net domestic migration added 422 people in 2025: more people moved in from other U.S. counties than moved out.

Private employers had 17,630 paid employees in mid-March 2023, +7.8% since 2018 (County Business Patterns).

Unemployment averaged 6.8% in 2025, 1.9 points higher than in 2019 (before the pandemic).

Builders were authorized to start 77 new homes in 2025, or 1.2 per 1,000 residents.

Median household income was $79,960 in the 2020–24 American Community Survey, +24.5% since 2016–20.

Across the 3,107 U.S. counties with a comparable estimate, its population growth ranks 1,183rd.

Part of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area.

Get Salem County’s next numbers by email

Email me when Salem County gets new Census numbers: population, building permits, jobs and income. About 4 emails a year, one click to stop.

We use your address only to email you when new data for Salem County is out: what changed, with a link to that county's report. No newsletter, no other sales emails. Delete it any time with the link in every email. We'll email you a link to confirm first; nothing starts until you click it. Privacy notice.

Salem County population by year

Resident population, July 1 estimate (Census Bureau)
YearPopulationChange
202566,280+340
202465,940+452
202365,488+378
202265,110+165
202164,945+164
202064,781–

Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year.

What drove the change in Salem County

Salem County grew by 1,499 people since 2020; the largest part came from domestic migration (+1,654).

Components of population change, people (Census Bureau)
Component20252020–25Share
Natural changebirths minus deaths−83−650
International migrationfrom and to other countries+3+503
Domestic migrationfrom and to other U.S. counties+422+1,654
Census adjustmentbalancing residual−2−8
Total change+340+1,499

Census Bureau population estimates, components of change, each year July 1 to June 30. The components add up to the change in the estimate; the Census adjustment is the small balancing figure the Bureau publishes.

How it ranks

MeasureIn New JerseyAmong U.S. counties
Population growth15th of 211,183rd of 3,107
Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents1st of 21894th of 3,108
Private-sector job growth5th of 21891st of 3,092
Median household income19th of 21584th of 3,107
Lowest unemployment rate19th of 212,999th of 3,108
New homes permitted per 1,000 residents18th of 211,989th of 3,005

1st = highest (lowest for unemployment). Counties are ranked only against others with a figure for the same period.

Get the county report — $99

The County Growth and Demographics Report for Salem County, NJ as a PDF, from federal data: population and migration, housing and rents, permits, private employers and jobs, unemployment, ranks in the state and the country, and neighbouring counties, with a source next to every number. Pay once, no subscription.

Add 2 neighbouring counties for $50: the New Castle County and Gloucester County reports too, $149 for all 3.

Choose other neighbouring counties

Preview page 1 of the Salem County report (free, PDF) · See a full 5-page sample (PDF) · Other counties and options

Every purchase also includes a CSV of every table in the report, ready for a spreadsheet.

Refund terms: Terms. · How we compute every number

Neighbouring counties

Over 2020–25, Salem County's population change (+2.3%) was ahead of 1 of its 4 neighbouring counties and behind 3.

2 of its 4 neighbouring counties had a higher median household income than Salem County's $79,960 (2020–24).

Salem County, NJ and its 4 neighbouring counties: public federal figures
CountyPopulation2025Population change2020–25Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents2025Homes permitted per 1,000 residents2025Median household income2020–24
Salem County, NJ This county66,280+2.3%6.41.2$79,960
Gloucester County, NJ312,638+3.3%3.12.9$105,115
Cumberland County, NJ157,148+2.2%0.90.9$67,436
New Castle County, DE588,026+3.0%−1.42.2$91,166
Kent County, DE194,786+6.8%7.26.5$74,477

Census Bureau population estimates and building permits, American Community Survey 5-year income. Rates per 1,000 residents. – means no figure, or a base too small for a change or rate (it would swing on a few people). A figure from another period shows its year and is left out of the comparison.

All 21 New Jersey counties · Every state

Questions

Is Salem County growing?

Yes. Its population grew 2.3% between 2020 and 2025, about 1,499 more people (Census Bureau population estimates). New Jersey as a whole changed +3.0% over the same years. That ranks 15th of 21 counties in New Jersey for population growth.

How many people moved to Salem County?

On net, about 422 people in 2025: that many more moved in from other U.S. counties than moved out (Census Bureau net domestic migration estimate).

What is the unemployment rate in Salem County?

It averaged 6.8% in 2025 (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual average).

What is the population of Salem County?

About 66,280 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's population estimate for July 1, 2025.

How many jobs are in Salem County?

Private employers there had 17,630 paid employees in mid-March 2023, +7.8% since 2018 (Census Bureau County Business Patterns; government jobs and the self-employed are not counted).

What Beacon CRE covers in New Jersey

Map, parcel and listing layers cover North and South Carolina only for now. This page and the other New Jersey county pages carry the public federal growth figures.

Salem County data alerts

Email me when Salem County gets new Census numbers: population, building permits, jobs and income. About 4 emails a year, one click to stop.

We use your address only to email you when new data for Salem County is out: what changed, with a link to that county's report. No newsletter, no other sales emails. Delete it any time with the link in every email. We'll email you a link to confirm first; nothing starts until you click it. Privacy notice.

Sources and method

Each number shows its own period. Changes compare the latest period with five years earlier (or the earliest period available). Beacon CRE last refreshed these figures on 2026-11-05. Figures come from public federal statistics and are informational only, not investment advice. Check the source before relying on a number. Methodology: how we compute every number. More on every layer: data sources and licences.

Jobs outside North and South Carolina use County Business Patterns (paid private-sector employees in mid-March); wages and government jobs are not included.