2026 Compare Cities Economy:
Salem, MA vs Chicago, IL

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Highlights
- Household income in Chicago, is 10% less than it is in Salem and is 5% below the National Average.
- Salem unemployment rate is 7.1%.
- Chicago unemployment rate is 9.0%.
 Salem, MAChicago, ILUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock9.0%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock-0.2%1.6%
 Future Job Growth36.3%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes6.3%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock5.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$42,944  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$65,781$69,021
 Family Median Income$90,663  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Salem, MAChicago, ILUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock13.1%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K6.0%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock8.6%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K6.4%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock6.7%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K5.6%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock8.5%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K11.1%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock14.7%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K9.0%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock10.9%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Salem, MAChicago, ILUnited States
 Management, business, finance22.1%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock6.6%6.5%
 Community, social services2.6%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock2.2%1.2%
 Education, library8.1%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock3.0%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology4.9%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock3.4%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement2.0%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock5.4%5.4%
 Building maintenance3.9%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock2.9%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support22.9%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.1%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair4.6%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock12.1%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 Chicago    270 Reviews

I've lived in Chicago city and later moved to suburbs when family size increased. Absolutely love this city. This is the cleanest and most beautiful among the major  More

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Chicago is probably the best value in a major city that you can find and my personal favorite city. It will become increasingly important as climate change makes the  More

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I've live on north side and south side, UIC medical center. Don't move here go to the north side. No good amenities, if you get bored with one there is no other choices.  More

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