Salem, Arkansas
20 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1890 and the latest in 1994. It stands in Salem Township. It lies in ZIP code area 72019. The Survey maps it on the Congo quadrangle. 2,544 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 469 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresSalem fell from 2,607 to 2,544 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2,607 | |
| 2020 | 2,544 | -63 (-2%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
12 surveys from 20 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1890 USGS Benton quadrangle1:125000
- 1894 USGS Benton quadrangle1:125000, 5 printings
- 1938 USGS Benton quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1938 USGS Benton quadrangle1:48000
- 1944 USGS Benton quadrangle1:62500
- 1955 USGS Little Rock quadrangle1:250000
- 1956 USGS Little Rock quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Little Rock quadrangle1:250000
- 1964 USGS Little Rock quadrangle1:250000
- 1974 USGS Congo quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1985 USGS Little Rock quadrangle1:100000
- 1994 USGS Congo quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
122 since 1997Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 122 fires within 5 miles of Salem between 1997 and 2019, burning about 485 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 22 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 49 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 38 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 22 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 7 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 3 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Smoking | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 8 September 2006 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 5 September 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 28 September 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 27 September 1999 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 26 September 2015 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 22 September 2005 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 20 September 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 14 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 14 workings within 5 miles of Salem: 9 unknowns, 3 producers, 1 prospect, 1 past producer. 3 still produce. What was taken out: Aluminum, Clay, Nickel, Cobalt. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas Talc Co. Mine | Talc-Soapstone | Unknown | ||
| Belvedere S & G Co. Pit and Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Ben J.Field | Quartz | Unknown | ||
| Bryant Mill | Talc-Soapstone, Slate, Dimension | Producer | ||
| C.E. Lowry, Trustee, Properties | Nickel, Cobalt | Prospect | Underground | |
| Milwhite Barite | Barium-Barite | Producer | ||
| Unknown | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Unknown | ||
| Hicks and Rodenbaugh Clay Banks | Clay | Unknown | ||
| Unknown | Clay | Unknown | ||
| Arkansas Operations Alumina Plant | Aluminum | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
23 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Salem in 23 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 15 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail, 2 flood, 1 funnel cloud. The reports record 2 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | 2 hurt | Numerous trees and power lines were blown down in the Salem Community north of Benton. One tree fell through an outhouse in the 6700 block of Congo Road. Two people were injured due to these falling trees. Several people were without power as a result of the high winds. |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | $75,000 | Multiple trees and some power lines were blown down. |
| October 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | $25,000 | Several trees were blown down. One of the trees landed on a house. |
| April 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | $10,000 | A power pole was snapped and some trees and power lines were blown down on River Ridge Rd. |
| May 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew down some trees. |
| September 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | $2,000 | Shingles were blown off a house. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | - | Trees blown down near Salem. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Salem | - | Dime size hail fell near Salem on the southwestern side of the Little Rock metro. |
| July 2024 | Flood | Salem | - | In the community of Salem in Saline County, multiple creeks and rivers flooded croplands, yards, and basement of a few homes, via a report from mPING. |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | - | An estimated wind gust of 70 mph was noted along Congo Road. |
| February 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | - | A tree was blown down on Turkey Track Street near Benton. |
| November 2015 | Flood | Salem | - | The Saline River at Benton rose back above flood stage during the late morning hours of the 28th, falling back below flood stage during the afternoon hours of the 29th. |
| March 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | - | Trees down. |
| May 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | - | Thunderstorm winds caused some roof damage to several structures in Salem. |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down some trees. |
| December 2012 | Hail | Salem | - | no account filed |
| April 2011 | Funnel Cloud | Salem | - | no account filed |
| February 2009 | Hail | Salem | - | no account filed |
| March 2008 | Hail | Salem | - | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Hail | Salem | - | no account filed |
| August 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | - | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | - | no account filed |
| March 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sherwood Estates | 2.3 miles | 23 | |
| Congo | 2.6 miles | 20 | |
| Springhill | 2.7 miles | 20 | |
| Edgewood | 3.0 miles | 23 | |
| Richardson Place | 3.6 miles | 23 | |
| Twin Oaks | 3.7 miles | 23 | |
| Bauxite Junction | 3.8 miles | 23 | |
| Careywood | 3.8 miles | 23 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Salem | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2586297 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 54484. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.











