Salem vs Beaverton
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $416,900 in Salem and $569,800 in Beaverton.
- Households earn more in Beaverton ($98,622 vs $75,487 median).
- Salem is growing faster: +3.6% since 2020 vs +0.3%.
Side by side
| Salem, OR | Beaverton, OR | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 181,779 | 97,842 |
| Growth since 2020 | +3.6% | +0.3% |
| People per square mile | 3,714 | 4,958 |
| Median age | 36.0 | 37.8 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 32% | 50% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $75,487 | $98,622 |
| Median home value | $416,900 | $569,800 |
| Home value to income | 5.5× | 5.8× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,400 | $1,826 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 103.6 | 105.4 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 110.3 | 125.1 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $77,700 | $79,100 |
| Homeowners | 56% | 51% |
| Top state income tax | 9.9% | 9.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 0% | 0% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 22.0 | 24.1 |
| Work from home | 16% | 25% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 4% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.8% | 4.4% |
| Poverty rate | 14.4% | 10.1% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 48° / 36° | 48° / 36° |
| July high / low | 84° / 55° | 82° / 59° |
| Precipitation per year | 40 in | 37 in |
| Snowfall per year | 1 in | 4 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 18 | 15 |
| Nights below freezing | 49 | 32 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 7 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 95.5 | 96.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 80% | 70% |
| Home prices, past year | -0.2% | +1.4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +27.7% | +21.2% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Salem: May to October. Beaverton: April to October.
Full monthly tables: Salem weather by month and Beaverton weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $77,700 in Salem and $79,100 in Beaverton. Moving from Salem to Beaverton, you would need about $76,300 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Salem and Beaverton
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Salem and Beaverton.
Which would you pick?
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