Salem, Kentucky

Salem, Kentucky
City
Main Street downtown
Location of Salem, Kentucky
Coordinates: 37°15′53″N 88°14′28″W / 37.26472°N 88.24111°WCoordinates: 37°15′53″N 88°14′28″W / 37.26472°N 88.24111°W
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
County	Livingston
Established	before 1816[1]
Incorporated	1869[1]
Named for	the Carolinian hometown of the original settlers
Area
• Total	0.8 sq mi (2.0 km^2)
• Land	0.8 sq mi (2.0 km^2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km^2)
Elevation	443 ft (135 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	752
• Density	987.6/sq mi (381.3/km^2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	42078
Area code(s)	270 & 364
FIPS code	21-68052
GNIS feature ID	0502766

Salem is a 6th-class city in Livingston County, Kentucky, in the United States. Salem is part of the Paducah micropolitan area. The population was 752 during the U.S. Census, down from 769 in 2000. It the largest city in Livingston County, although the unincorporated community of Ledbetter has more than twice the population of Salem.

History

The city is believed to have been settled c. 1800 by immigrants from Salem, North Carolina, who named their new community after their former home. It replaced Centerville as Livingston Co.'s seat in 1809 but was replaced in turn by Smithland in 1842 after the removal of Crittenden Co. left it more centrally-located.^[2]

Geography

Salem is located at 37°15′53″N 88°14′28″W / 37.26472°N 88.24111°W (37.264694, -88.241221).^[3] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²), all land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1830	281		—
1840	233		−17.1%
1860	192		—
1870	50		−74.0%
1880	132		164.0%
1900	208		—
1910	320		53.8%
1920	252		−21.2%
1970	593		—
1980	833		40.5%
1990	770		−7.6%
2000	769		−0.1%
2010	752		−2.2%
Est. 2015	739	[4]	−1.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]

As of the census^[6] of 2000, there were 769 people, 322 households, and 202 families residing in the city. The population density was 987.6 people per square mile (380.7/km²). There were 370 housing units at an average density of 475.2 per square mile (183.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.22% White, 0.26% African American, 0.13% from other races, and 0.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.65% of the population.

There were 322 households out of which 20.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 23.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.72.

In the city the population was spread out with 16.9% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 19.9% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 31.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51 years. For every 100 females there were 80.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,196, and the median income for a family was $37,857. Males had a median income of $29,375 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,156. About 7.1% of families and 10.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.8% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.

References

1. Commonwealth of Kentucky. Office of the Secretary of State. Land Office. "Salem, Kentucky". Accessed 26 Aug 2013.
2. Rennick, Robert. Kentucky Place Names, p. 262. University Press of Kentucky (Lexington), 1987. Accessed 5 October 2013.
3. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
4. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
5. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
6. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.