| | Salem, OR | Meridian, ID | United States |
| Population | 174,193 | 115,227 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 49.0% | 51.1% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 51.0% | 48.9% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 35.7 | 36.6 | 38.4 |
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| Population - 2010 | 155,223 | 77,429 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 136,924 | 34,919 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 107,786 | 9,596 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | 28.5% | 247.0% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | 63.2% | 1,162.8% | 30.8% |
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| Population Density | 3,580.8 | 3,430.7 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 48.6 | 33.6 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 0.6 | 0.1 | 264,836.8 |
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| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Salem, OR | Meridian, ID | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 6.2% | 6.3% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 6.6% | 7.0% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 7.1% | 9.6% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 4.2% | 4.7% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 4.3% | 3.9% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 5.1% | 3.9% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 15.5% | 12.4% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 14.0% | 15.3% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 11.6% | 13.8% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 4.8% | 5.9% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 6.0% | 4.6% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 8.9% | 8.1% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 4.2% | 3.4% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 1.5% | 1.1% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Salem, OR | Meridian, ID | United States |
| White | 65.8% | 83.7% | 59.4% |
| Black | 1.2% | 1.2% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 3.2% | 2.2% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 1.7% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.3% | 0.7% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 4.8% | 3.0% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 22.4% | 8.6% | 18.4% |
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| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Salem, OR | Meridian, ID | United States |
| Married Population | 46.7% | 59.7% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 45.1% | 59.0% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 1.6% | 0.6% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 53.3% | 40.3% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 34.6% | 25.0% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 13.4% | 10.8% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 5.2% | 4.5% | 5.6% |
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| Household Size | 2.58 | 2.82 | 2.60 |
| Households | 64,426 | 40,796 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 40,382 | 30,439 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 31.3% | 37.6% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 39.6% | 44.7% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 24,044 | 10,357 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 19.2% | 11.1% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 9.9% | 6.6% | 10.8% |