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.
One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 27.39% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. 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", which are people who are not only wealthy and employed in professional occupations, but highly educated to boot. Urban sophisticates have urbane tastes - whether they reside in a big or small city, a suburb, or a little town. Urban sophisticates support bookstores, quality clothing stores, enjoy luxury travel, and in big cities, they are truly the patrons of the arts, attending and supporting institutions such as opera, symphony, ballet, and theatre.
Because of many things, South Salem is a very good place for families to consider. With an enviable combination of good schools, low crime, college-educated neighbors who tend to support education because of their own experiences, and a high rate of home ownership in predominantly single-family properties, South Salem really has some of the features that families look for when choosing a good community to raise children. Is South Salem perfect? Of course not, and if you like frenetic nightlife, it will be far from your cup of tea. But overall this is a solid community, with many things to recommend it as a family-friendly place to live.
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.
Even though South Salem is a smaller town, it has many people who hop on public transportation – mostly the subway for their daily commute to work. Typically, these people are commuting to good jobs in the surrounding cities.
If knowledge is power, South Salem is a pretty powerful place. 71.66% of the adults in South Salem have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.
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.