Average Salaries in Salem, OR
Explore salaries across 437 occupations in Salem, OR. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $68.3K, +11.0% vs the national average. See the highest-paying roles, where the jobs are, and how local wages compare to the rest of the country.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2024 estimates. Coverage: 437 occupations and 179,940 total jobs in Salem, OR.
How the metro compares
Salem, OR pays modestly above the national average. Most occupations here earn more than their national equivalents, but the gap is smaller than in top-tier markets.
Salem, OR is a smaller metro labor market. Some occupations may have limited local demand.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Dentists, General. Drill into any occupation below to see its local pay distribution, employment, and how it compares to the national market.
Top-paying and largest occupations in Salem, OR
Two different lenses on the local labor market: which occupations pay the most, and which employ the most workers. The highest-paid list tends to favor specialized professional and technical roles. The largest list reflects where the everyday jobs actually are.
Top wages
Highest-paid occupations in Salem, OR
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Dentists, General | $198.3K | 130 |
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, And Magistrates | $174.3K | 90 |
| Pediatricians, General | $172.2K | 70 |
| Pharmacists | $163.1K | 320 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $158.4K | 480 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $157.5K | 140 |
| Lawyers | $157.5K | 800 |
| Nurse Midwives | $151.8K | 30 |
| Nurse Practitioners | $149.6K | 270 |
| Financial Managers | $137.0K | 650 |
Most jobs
Largest occupations in Salem, OR
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 5,520 | $40.5K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 5,400 | $33.3K |
| Retail Salespersons | 4,610 | $35.1K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 4,140 | $40.6K |
| Registered Nurses | 4,000 | $128.2K |
| General And Operations Managers | 3,700 | $98.5K |
| Management Analysts | 3,640 | $98.1K |
| Cashiers | 3,470 | $33.0K |
| Office Clerks, General | 3,420 | $46.5K |
| Personal Care And Service Workers, All Other | 3,320 | $37.6K |
What Salem, OR specializes in
The location quotient measures how concentrated an occupation is here compared to the national average. A value above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in Salem, OR than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Location quotient
Most concentrated occupations in Salem, OR
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Care And Service Workers, All Other | 44.02 | $37.6K |
| Logging Workers, All Other | 28.27 | $53.8K |
| Psychiatric Aides | 20.29 | $46.0K |
| Hydrologists | 11.43 | $87.5K |
| Directors, Religious Activities And Education | 10.63 | $44.7K |
| Woodworkers, All Other | 10.18 | $42.4K |
| Foresters | 8.36 | $85.2K |
| Farmworkers And Laborers, Crop, Nursery, And Greenhouse | 7.99 | $34.0K |
| Clergy | 7.23 | $75.8K |
| Soil And Plant Scientists | 6.73 | $89.2K |
Peer markets
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $90.4K | Training And Development Managers |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $89.2K | Natural Sciences Managers |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $81.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $80.1K | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $78.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| Vallejo, CA | $77.4K | Lawyers |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $77.2K | Podiatrists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $77.1K | Neurologists |
Common salary questions for Salem, OR
What does "average median" mean? +
It is the average of all occupation-level medians in this area. It gives a rough sense of the overall wage level here compared to other states or metros, but it is not the same as a household income figure or a single blended salary.
What is a location quotient? +
A location quotient (LQ) compares how concentrated an occupation is in this area versus the national average. An LQ of 2.0 means the occupation is twice as concentrated here as it is nationally. High-LQ occupations are what this area specializes in.
How are comparable areas selected? +
Peer areas are other metros with a similar overall wage level and employment size. They give you a quick sense of how this area ranks among places with a comparable labor market.