What percentage of people rent in Salem, NC?

Name: Renters and owners in Salem, NC, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

28.2% (±12.1 points) of the occupied homes in Salem, NC are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 295 renting households against 750 that own their home.

In Salem, the share of households that rent went from 21.5% in 2015–2019 to 28.2% in 2020–2024 (+6.7 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 28.2% (±12.1 points)
Renting households: 295 (±141)
Median renter income: $74,769 (±$47,100)

Who rents and who owns in Salem

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Salem	Burke County	North Carolina	United States
Renter-occupied share	28.2% (±12.1 points)	25.5% (±1.9 points)	33.4% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	295 (±141)	9,252 (±734)	1,428,852 (±8,279)	45,017,354
Owning households	750 (±163)	27,054 (±741)	2,853,493 (±14,473)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.0 (±0.5)	2.3 (±0.1)	2.3 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.4 (±0.3)	2.4 (±0.0)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$74,769 (±$47,100)	$42,241 (±$5,701)	$48,010 (±$418)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$68,016 (±$15,516)	$67,247 (±$3,967)	$88,911 (±$521)	$100,009

In Salem, the renter share is not measurably different from Burke County (25.5%).

It is not measurably different from North Carolina (33.4%).

It is not measurably different from the national figure (34.8%).

In Burke County, Salem ranks 4 of 10 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 363 of 663.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Salem has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	21.5% (±9.5 points)	28.2% (±12.1 points)	+6.7 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$622 (±$56)	$856 (±$164)	+37.6%	No measurable change after inflation
Median household income	$49,375 (±$11,990)	$68,988 (±$13,864)	+39.7%	No measurable change after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Salem

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Salem
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Salem	—	28.2% (±12.1 points)	—
Morganton	2.8 mi	45.3% (±4.5 points)	Higher
Glen Alpine	5.1 mi	15.3% (±7.4 points)	Not measurably different
Drexel	6.5 mi	28.0% (±8.5 points)	Not measurably different
Valdese	8.1 mi	27.1% (±7.8 points)	Not measurably different
Rutherford College	10 mi	26.9% (±12.0 points)	Not measurably different
Connelly Springs	12 mi	41.2% (±14.9 points)	Not measurably different
Nebo	12 mi	25.1% (±19.9 points)	Not measurably different
Gamewell	13 mi	38.8% (±12.6 points)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Morganton, NC (45.3%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Burke County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Morganton	45.3% (±4.5 points)
2	Connelly Springs	41.2% (±14.9 points)
3	Hildebran	34.9% (±10.9 points)
4	Salem	28.2% (±12.1 points)
5	Drexel	28.0% (±8.5 points)
6	Valdese	27.1% (±7.8 points)
7	Rhodhiss	27.0% (±10.8 points)
8	Rutherford College	26.9% (±12.0 points)
9	Icard	23.9% (±12.7 points)
10	Glen Alpine	15.3% (±7.4 points)

Salem is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Salem

How many renters are there in Salem?

Salem has an estimated 295 (±141) renting households, 28.2% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Salem?

In Salem, the share of households that rent went from 21.5% in 2015–2019 to 28.2% in 2020–2024 (+6.7 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Salem?

A renting household in Salem has 2.0 people on average, against 2.4 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Salem?

The median renting household in Salem, NC has an income of $74,769 (±$47,100) a year, against $68,016 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Salem CDP, North Carolina (place:58740, in state:37).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.