2026 Compare Cities Economy:
Salem, MA vs Cary, NC

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Highlights
- Household income in Cary, is 56% more than it is in Salem and is 39% above the National Average.
- Salem unemployment rate is 7.1%.
- Cary unemployment rate is 3.1%.
 Salem, MACary, NCUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock3.1%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock3.0%1.6%
 Future Job Growth36.3%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes6.3%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock5.3%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$42,944  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$113,782$69,021
 Family Median Income$90,663  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Salem, MACary, NCUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock4.2%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K6.0%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock3.9%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K6.4%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock5.5%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K5.6%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock7.8%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K11.1%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock19.8%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K9.0%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock23.1%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Salem, MACary, NCUnited States
 Management, business, finance22.1%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock22.1%6.5%
 Community, social services2.6%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock1.4%1.2%
 Education, library8.1%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock2.1%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology4.9%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock1.2%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement2.0%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock3.5%5.4%
 Building maintenance3.9%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock1.7%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support22.9%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.0%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair4.6%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock5.7%13.1%
Reviews for Salem    4 Reviews

I've been in Salem, Massachusetts for a year now because it brought me up here for my husband's job. Salem may be a great place to visit during Halloween but other  More

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Over 13 years ago

My husband and I move to Salem, MA from Long Island NY five years ago and we love it! We kept on visiting for Halloween and we just decided to move here for the hell of  More

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Over 19 years ago

We are family friendly, albeit strange. We celebrate Halloween for a month. Check out the Haunted Happenings  More

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Reviews for Cary    63 Reviews

Cary is up-and-coming “cool.” The downtown is revitalized and growing. The town takes urban planning very seriously. The home prices have definitely spiked in the last  More

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Over 9 years ago

I've lived in NY, CT, MA, and in Miami FL. Now here in Cary NC for the past 10 years. For what I want and need at this phase of my life, I really like it here! All the  More

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Over 9 years ago

As a Real Estate Agent, I consider Cary the most central location in the Triangle, it basically takes you twenty minutes to get to Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough,   More

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