Salem vs Orem

Which is the better fit for you?

Salem, UT

Area Score

Top 30% nationally

Orem, UT

Area Score

Bottom 39% nationally

Salem receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

Signals

Salem

Orem

Opportunity

71 · Top 21%

63 · Top 36%

Growth

84 · Top 2%

37 · Bottom 28%

Climate

58 · Bottom 10%

58 · Bottom 9%

Physical resilience

49 · Bottom 42%

Housing affordability

75 · Bottom 41%

68 · Bottom 30%

Schools

44 · Bottom 40%

49 · Bottom 46%

Access

97 · Top 23%

99 · Top 14%

Economic stability

84 · Top 2%

69 · Top 30%

Measured values

Metric	Salem	Orem	Source period
Population	10,324	97,182	2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income	$111,117	$83,342	2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income	$38,521	$35,876	2024 ACS 5-Year
Population density	854/sq mi	5,220/sq mi	2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value	$605,700	$472,300	2024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent	$1,592	$1,438	2024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate	93.7%	57.8%	2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate	3.8%	3.7%	June 2026
Employment change (year over year)	-0.6%	-0.6%	June 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher	39.0%	43.6%	2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate	4.2%	10.2%	2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)	673	65	12 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents	65.2	0.7	12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)	6.3%	124.1%	12 months ending July 2026
Average July high	93°F	93°F	1991-2020 Normals
Average January low	22°F	20°F	1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport	12 mi	6 mi	NASR current cycle
Average commute	25.9 min	22.0 min	2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age	29.3	27.0	2024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools	8	26	2024-25 school year
Students per teacher	22.35	22.69	2024-25 school year
Math proficiency	42.0%	42.3%	2019-20 school year
Reading proficiency	43.8%	45.6%	2019-20 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility	19.5%	31.8%	2024-25 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

Physical risk tradeoff

Salem

Elevated or high exposure: wildfire.

Orem

Elevated or high exposure: wildfire.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Salem

Your Score

Area Score

Orem

Your Score

Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Salem, UT · Orem, UT · How this is calculated: methodology