2026 Compare Cities Economy:
Salem, OR vs Norfolk, VA

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Highlights
- Household income in Norfolk, is 10% less than it is in Salem and is 23% below the National Average.
- Salem unemployment rate is 6.2%.
- Norfolk unemployment rate is 7.3%.
 Salem, ORNorfolk, VAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock7.3%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock1.3%1.6%
 Future Job Growth40.2%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes0.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock5.8%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$31,610  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$56,244$69,021
 Family Median Income$75,291  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Salem, ORNorfolk, VAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock12.0%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K4.3%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock9.9%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K9.1%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock8.7%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K8.4%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock10.5%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K13.0%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock13.6%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K6.1%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock4.6%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Salem, ORNorfolk, VAUnited States
 Management, business, finance14.0%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock6.3%6.5%
 Community, social services2.9%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock1.3%1.2%
 Education, library5.4%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock1.9%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology5.6%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock3.1%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement2.5%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock7.2%5.4%
 Building maintenance3.8%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock2.8%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support21.9%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.1%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair7.4%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock12.1%13.1%
Reviews for Salem    37 Reviews

After reading the reviews here, I had to come write my own. The problem I had with most of the reviews is that most were very opinion-based and seemed to assume everyone  More

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Moved here approx. 4 years ago from SW Michigan, but I've lived in 9 other cities & 5 other states. Salem is a very manageable sized city, with tons of parks, diverse  More

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Over 6 years ago

I'm a native 5th generation Oregonian, so bear in mind that I was born with webs between my toes! Anyway, I used to think it rained too much when I was young. Then I  More

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Reviews for Norfolk    41 Reviews

I've lived in Norfolk for most of my life, and I love it here. I love the maker scene, and the new breweries. The arts scene, especially the theater side is always  More

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Over 8 years ago

I have lived in Norfolk VA for 11 months and,I cant wait to leave.It is full of crime ,homeless and undeveloped city.Public transportation is terrible and its wet and  More

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Over 8 years ago

I was born in Norfolk, and lived in Norfolk and Virginia Beach until my early 20s. Here are 10 things that are 100% true about Norfolk you may have heard before: 1) It's  More

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