2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 64,837, a median age of 42.1 years, 22.1% of residents under the age of 18, and 19.2% of residents aged 65 or older; for every 100 females there were 95.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.2 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 71.9% White, 14.7% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 4.6% from some other race, and 7.2% from two or more races; Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 10.1% of the population.

46.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 53.2% lived in rural areas.

There were 25,225 households in the county, of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them; 46.2% were married-couple households, 17.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

  • Irish (20.6%)
  • German (19%)
  • English (18%)
  • Italian (13.4%)
  • African American (10%)
  • Puerto Rican (5.1%)
  • Polish (3.6%)
  • Scottish (2.8%)
  • Mexican (2.6%)
  • French (2%)

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Salem County, New Jersey – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>

!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>

!Pop 1980

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|-

|White alone (NH)

|53,603

|53,839

|51,171

|50,736

|style='background: #ffffe6; |45,279

|82.88%

|82.46%

|79.60%

|76.78%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |69.84%

|-

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|9,634

|9,391

|9,257

|8,940

|style='background: #ffffe6; |9,049

|14.90%

|14.38%

|14.40%

|13.53%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |13.96%

|-

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|129

|206

|184

|187

|style='background: #ffffe6; |182

|0.20%

|0.32%

|0.29%

|0.28%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.28%

|-

|Asian alone (NH)

|191

|363

|386

|548

|style='background: #ffffe6; |649

|0.30%

|0.56%

|0.60%

|0.83%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.00%

|-

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|x

|x

|10

|10

|style='background: #ffffe6; |13

|x

|x

|0.02%

|0.02%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.02%

|-

|Other race alone (NH)

|114

|59

|58

|47

|style='background: #ffffe6; |277

|0.18%

|0.09%

|0.09%

|0.07%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.43%

|-

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|x

|x

|721

|1,108

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,853

|x

|x

|1.12%

|1.68%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.40%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|1,005

|1,436

|2,498

|4,507

|style='background: #ffffe6; |6,535

|1.55%

|2.20%

|3.89%

|6.82%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |10.08%

|-

|Total

|64,676

|65,294

|64,285

|66,083

|style='background: #ffffe6; |64,837

|100.00%

|100.00%

|100.00%

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

|}

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 66,083 people, 25,290 households, and 17,551 families in the county. The population density was . There were 27,417 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 79.83% (52,757) White, 14.09% (9,309) Black or African American, 0.36% (240) Native American, 0.84% (557) Asian, 0.02% (10) Pacific Islander, 2.64% (1,745) from other races, and 2.22% (1,465) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.82% (4,507) of the population. In 2016, commissioners were paid $25,410 and the director was paid an annual salary of $26,410.

In the 2016 general election, Salem County voters approved a binding referendum to cut the number of Commissioner from seven to five as well as a non-binding referendum to cut Commissioner salaries by 20%; both initiatives, which had been placed on the ballot as the result of grassroots campaigns opposed to a proposed outsourcing deal, passed by a 3–1 margin. In the wake of the referendum results, Director Julie Acton resigned in December 2016 and was replaced by Scott Griscom. In April 2017, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that the reduction in seats will be accomplished through attrition, with the seats expiring at the end of 2017 (held by Commissioners Cross, Painter, and Vanderslice) being eliminated; in the November 2017 general election there will be one new three-year seat up for a vote as well as a two-year unexpired term, so that on January 1, 2018, there will be a five-member board. Republicans have fully controlled the board since 2022.

, Salem County's Commissioners (with terms for director and deputy director ending every December 31) are:

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! Commissioner

! Party, Residence, Term

|-

| Director Ben H. Laury

| R, Elmer, 2027

|-

| Deputy Director Cordy Taylor

| R, Oldmans Township, 2028 Salem County's constitutional officers, elected on a countywide basis are:

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! Title

! Representative

|-

| County Clerk

| Dale A. Cross (R, Pennsville Township, 2029)

|-

| Sheriff

| Charles "Chuck" Miller (R, Salem, 2027)

|-

| Surrogate

| Mickey Ostrum Jr. (R, Pilesgrove Township, 2030)

|}

The Salem County Prosecutor is Kristin J. Telsey, who was nominated to fill the position in September 2022. Salem County is a part of Vicinage 15 of the New Jersey Superior Court (along with Cumberland County and Gloucester County), seated in Woodbury in Gloucester County; the Assignment Judge for the vicinage is Benjamin C. Telsey. The Salem County Courthouse is in Salem. No Democrat has won county-wide office since 2020.

Federal representatives

Salem County falls entirely within the 2nd congressional district

State represenatatives

All of Salem County is located in the 3rd legislative district.

{| class="wikitable"

|+

!District

!Senator

!Assembly

<!-- PresRow should be -->

Salem County has generally and historically been a bellwether county in the state, having voted for the national winner all but three times (1960, 1992, and 2000) between 1936 and 2012. Since 2012, the county has swung more toward Republicans, following the trend of most rural counties in the United States. Republican Donald Trump won 54.9% of the vote in 2016, the highest vote share for a Republican since George H. W. Bush in 1988. Trump improved to 55.3% of the vote in 2020 and 58.71% in 2024. As of January 2023, there were a total of 48,956 registered voters in Salem County, of whom 14,768 (30.2%) were registered as Democrats, 14,839 (30.3%) were registered as Republicans and 18,525 (37.8%) were registered as unaffiliated. There were 824 voters (1.7%) registered to other parties. Among the county's 2010 Census population, 64.6% were registered to vote, including 84.4% of those ages 18 and over.

State elections

Economy

The Bureau of Economic Analysis calculated that the county's gross domestic product was $5.2&nbsp;billion in 2021, which was ranked 18th in the state and was a 3.9% increase from the prior year.

Education

School districts

School districts include:

;K-12:

  • Penns Grove-Carneys Point Regional School District
  • Pennsville School District
  • Pittsgrove Township School District
  • Salem City School District
  • Salem County Special Services School District
  • Woodstown-Pilesgrove Regional School District – Regional

;Secondary:

  • Salem County Vocational Technical Schools

;Elementary:

  • Alloway Township School District
  • Elsinboro Township School District
  • Lower Alloways Creek Township School District
  • Mannington Township School District
  • Oldmans Township School District
  • Quinton Township School District
  • Upper Pittsgrove School District

Elmer School District became a non-operating school district in 2010, and disestablished completely in 2017.

Transportation

thumb|right|The [[Delaware Memorial Bridge connects Salem County with New Castle County, Delaware]]

, the county had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the local municipality, by Salem County and by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and by the Delaware River and Bay Authority.

Salem is served by many roads. Major county routes include CR 540, CR 551, CR 553 (only in Pittsgrove) and CR 581. State highways include Route 45, Route 48 (only in Carneys Point), Route 49, Route 56 (only in Pittsgrove), Route 77 and Route 140 (only in Carneys Point). The U.S. routes are U.S. Route 40 and the southern end of U.S. Route 130.

Limited access roads include Interstate 295 and the New Jersey Turnpike. Both highways pass through the northern part of the county. Only one turnpike interchange is located in Salem: Exit 1 in Carneys Point (which is also where the turnpike ends). There are a pair of service areas on the Turnpike, both located between exits 1 and 2 in Oldmans Township: The John Fenwick Service Area on the northbound side and the Clara Barton Service Area in the southbound direction. The Route 55 freeway passes through the northeastern part of the county briefly but has no interchanges within the county.

The Delaware Memorial Bridge (which is signed as I-295/US 40) is a set of twin suspension bridges crossing the Delaware River. Connecting New Castle, Delaware and Pennsville Township, the original span was opened in 1951 and the second span in 1968.

NJ Transit operates three routes through Salem County: the 401, which stops in Salem, Woodstown, Swedesboro, and Woodbury en route to and from Philadelphia; the 402, which stops in Penns Grove and has two stops in Salem en route to and from Philadelphia; and the 468, which has local stops throughout Salem County.

Municipalities

thumb|right|400px|Index map of Salem County municipalities (click to see index key)

The 15 municipalities in Salem County (with 2010 Census data for population, housing units and area in square miles) are: Other, unincorporated communities in the county are listed next to their parent municipality. Some of these areas are census-designated places (CDPs) that have been created by the United States Census Bureau for enumeration purposes within a Township. Other communities and enclaves that exist within a municipality are also listed next to the name.

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! Municipality<br/>(map index)

!Map key

! Municipal<br/>type

! Population

! Housing<br/>units

! Total<br/>area

! Water<br/>area

! Land<br/>area

! Pop.<br/>density

! Housing<br/>density

!School district

! Unincorporated<br/>communities / notes

|-

|Alloway Township

|13|| township || 3,283 || 1,268 || 33.83 || 0.43 || 33.40 || 103.8 || 38.0

|Woodstown-Pilesgrove (9-12) (S/R)<br>Alloway Township (PK-8)

| Aldine<br />Alloway CDP (1,296)<br />Friesburg<br />Penton

|-

|Carneys Point

|6|| township || 8,637 || 3,502 || 17.74 || 0.87 || 16.86 || 477.3 || 207.7

|Penns Grove-Carneys Point|| Carneys Point CDP (8,637)

|-

|Elmer

|1|| borough || 1,347 || 577 || 0.88 || 0.01 || 0.87 || 1,612.3 || 666.9

|Pittsgrove Township||

|-

|Elsinboro

|10|| township || 1,001 || 524 || 13.32 || 1.41 || 11.92 || 86.9 || 44.0

|Salem City (9-12) (S/R)<br>Elsinboro Township (K-8)

|

|-

|Lower Alloways Creek

|11|| township || 1,717 || 727 || 72.46 || 27.23 || 45.23 || 39.1 || 16.1

|Salem City (9-12) (S/R)<br>Lower Alloway Creek Township (PK-8)

| Hancock's Bridge CDP (155)

|-

|Mannington Township

|8|| township || 1,475 || 592 || 37.73 || 4.02 || 33.70 || 53.6 || 17.6

|Salem City (9-12) (S/R)<br>Mannington Township (PK-8)

| Marshalltown

|-

|Oldmans Township

|5|| township || 1,910 || 699 || 20.38 || 0.93 || 19.45 || 91.1 || 35.9

|Penns Grove-Carneys Point (9-12) (S/R)<br>Oldmans Township (K-8)

| Auburn CDP (part; 1,057)<br>Pedricktown CDP (487)

|-

|Penns Grove

|4|| borough || 4,837 || 2,004 || 0.91 || 0.00 || 0.91 || 5,656.0 || 2,202.2

|Penns Grove-Carneys Point||

|-

|Pennsville Township

|9|| township || 12,684 || 5,914 || 24.59 || 3.31 || 21.28 || 630.2 || 278.0

|Pennsville|| Deepwater<br />Pennsville CDP (12,043)

|-

|Pilesgrove

|7|| township || 4,183 || 1,594 || 35.07 || 0.23 || 34.84 || 115.3 || 45.7

|Woodstown-Pilesgrove||Auburn CDP (part; 1,057)

|-

|Pittsgrove

|15|| township || 8,777 || 3,445 || 45.92 || 0.83 || 45.08 || 208.3 || 76.4

|Pittsgrove Township|| Brotmanville<br />Centerton<br />Norma<br />Olivet CDP (1,297)

|-

|Quinton Township

|12|| township || 2,580 || 1,099 || 24.58 || 0.49 || 24.09 || 110.7 || 45.6

|Salem City (9-12) (S/R)<br>Quinton Township (PK-8)

| Quinton CDP (470)

|-

|Salem

|3|| city || 5,296 || 2,633 || 2.82 || 0.47 || 2.34 || 2,195.9 || 1,123.6

|Salem City||

|-

|Upper Pittsgrove

|14|| township || 3,432 || 1,310 || 40.49 || 0.16 || 40.33 || 86.9 || 32.5

|Woodstown-Pilesgrove (9-12) (S/R)<br>Upper Pittsgrove (PK-8)

| Daretown<br/>Friendship<br/>Monroeville<br/>Whig Lane

|-

|Woodstown

|2|| borough || 3,678 || 1,529 || 1.63 || 0.04 || 1.58 || 2,211.8 || 964.9

|Woodstown-Pilesgrove||

|-

|Salem

| || County || 64,837 || 27,417 || 372.33 || 40.43 || 331.90 || 199.1 || 82.6

| ||

|}

Recreation

Wineries

  • Auburn Road Vineyards
  • Chestnut Run Farm
  • Monroeville Vineyard & Winery
  • Salem Oak Vineyards

Notable people

  • Whitey Witt, former baseball outfielder and member of the New York Yankees' first World Series championship team, 1923
  • Teyona Anderson (born 1989), winner of America's Next Top Model (season 12)
  • David Bailey, politician who has represented the 3rd legislative district in the New Jersey General Assembly since January 2024
  • Isaac Ambrose Barber (1852–1909), U.S. Congressman from Maryland, serving from 1897 to 1899
  • Mario Cerrito (born 1984), horror filmmaker
  • Isaiah D. Clawson (1820–1879), represented New Jersey's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1855 to 1859
  • Fred Drains (born 1971), American-born and naturalized Swedish basketball player
  • Rachel Davis DuBois (1892–1993), educator, human rights activist and pioneer of intercultural education
  • Hilly Flitcraft (1923–2003), pitcher whose MLB career consisted of three games played with the Philadelphia Phillies during the 1942 season at the age of 19
  • Elwood L. Haines (1893–1949), Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa from 1944 to 1949
  • Irv Halter (born 1954), retired United States Air Force major general who ran for Congress in Colorado in the 2014 elections
  • Tara LaRosa (born 1978), mixed martial arts fighter
  • Everett Shinn (1876–1953), realist painter best known for his work with the Ashcan School

See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Salem County, New Jersey
  • Wistarburgh Glass Works – an 18th-century glass company operating in the county.

References

  • Salem County official website
  • The Official Salem County Tourism and Travel Website
  • Discover Salem County NJ
  • The News of Salem County