2026 Compare Cities Economy:
Salem, VA vs Oakton, VA

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Highlights
- Household income in Oakton, is 118% more than it is in Salem and is 52% above the National Average.
- Salem unemployment rate is 4.6%.
- Oakton unemployment rate is 4.6%.
 Salem, VAOakton, VAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock4.6%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock2.0%1.6%
 Future Job Growth32.0%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes5.3%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock5.8%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$36,244  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$145,064$69,021
 Family Median Income$84,224  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Salem, VAOakton, VAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock3.0%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K3.9%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock3.0%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K7.3%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock3.6%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K8.8%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock7.4%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K14.1%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock17.9%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K7.4%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock32.7%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Salem, VAOakton, VAUnited States
 Management, business, finance15.7%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock19.4%6.5%
 Community, social services2.6%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock3.9%1.2%
 Education, library7.9%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock2.8%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology7.3%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock1.0%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement2.6%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock3.2%5.4%
 Building maintenance3.1%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock3.3%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support21.0%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.1%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair7.1%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock4.1%13.1%
Reviews for Salem    4 Reviews

Over 10 years ago

I am looking for property in  More

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Over 11 years ago

When we moved from Glen Allen VA to Salem I had read on here that cost of living including housing was cheaper. Housing is less unless you want a house bigger than 1300  More

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Over 15 years ago

Salem is a lovely town surrounded by the beauty of the Blue Ridge mountains. Spring, Summer and Fall is exceptionally beautiful with moderate climate and lots of  More

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Reviews for Oakton    5 Reviews

Over 16 years ago

Oakton is a good place to live, though house prices are high.  More

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Over 17 years ago

Great place to live as Fairfax county allows archery hunting on any size acreage. Plenty of whitetail deer roaming about eating your shrubs make tasty treats. Whitetail  More

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Over 18 years ago

The schools are top notch, and there is so much to do in DC, only 20 miles  More

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