Salem, Kentucky
21 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1916 and the latest in 1987. It stands in the Salem census division. It lies in ZIP code area 42078. It lies near Eberle Knobs. The Survey maps it on the Salem quadrangle. 722 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 443 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresSalem fell from 752 to 722 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 | 752 | |
| 2020 | 722 | -30 (-4%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
14 surveys from 21 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.
- 1916 USGS Cave in Rock quadrangle1:62500
- 1916 USGS Fords Ferry quadrangle1:62500
- 1921 USGS Fords Ferry quadrangle1:48000
- 1925 USGS Cave In Rock quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1949 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1950 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000
- 1954 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1954 USGS Salem quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Cave In Rock quadrangle1:62500
- 1961 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1964 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1984 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:100000
- 1986 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:100000
- 1987 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000
Fires near this place
17 since 2003Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 17 fires within 5 miles of Salem between 2003 and 2017, burning about 140 acres in total. None started naturally. None was 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 |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 5 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 3 |
| Debris and open burning | 3 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 September 2008 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 1.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 5 April 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 5 March 2010 | Recreation and ceremony | 10 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 24 March 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 21 March 2014 | Recreation and ceremony | 10 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | MIDWAY RD. |
| 20 March 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | 1.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | CEDER GROVE |
| 9 February 2009 | Recreation and ceremony | 2.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 22 February 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 74 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 74 workings within 5 miles of Salem: 34 past producers, 20 prospects, 14 occurrences, 4 producers. 5 still produce. What was taken out: Fluorine-Fluorite, Zinc, Fluorine-Fluorite, Zinc, Fluorine-Fluorite, Zinc, Lead. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Givens Prospect | Zinc, Nickel, Manganese, Cobalt, Diatomite | Past Producer | 1900 | |
| La Rue | Fluorine-Fluorite, Lead, Zinc | Past Producer | 1933, 1934 | |
| Moore Hill Group Fluorspar Mines | Fluorine-Fluorite, Lead, Zinc | Producer | 1900 | |
| Babb Group Fluorspar Mines | Fluorine-Fluorite, Zinc, Lead, Barium-Barite | Producer | 1899 | |
| Babb-Barnes Concentrator | Fluorine-Fluorite, Lead, Zinc | Plant | ||
| Babb-Barnes Mine | Fluorine-Fluorite, Lead, Zinc | Past Producer | 1899, 1974 | |
| Ben Belt Mine | Fluorine-Fluorite, Lead, Zinc | Past Producer | ||
| Dike - Eaton Group Fluorspar Mines | Fluorine-Fluorite, Zinc, Lead, Barium-Barite | Producer | 1900 | |
| Mineral Ridge - Claylick Fluorspar Mines | Fluorine-Fluorite, Zinc, Lead | Producer | 1870 | |
| Wright Mine | Fluorine-Fluorite, Barium-Barite | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
19 since 1998Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Salem in 19 storm reports between 1998 and 2024: 11 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, 2 heavy rain, 1 funnel cloud. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | $50,000 | In the Salem area on Highway 133, a 40-foot camper was thrown about 15 feet. Numerous large trees and power lines were down. An air conditioning unit was moved off the concrete pad. |
| July 2021 | Flash Flood | Salem | $50,000 | Several roads were closed due to flash flooding, including U.S. Highway 60 on the east edge of Salem between Kentucky 133 and Lola Road. U.S. Highway 60 was also closed near Kentucky 137 between Smithland and Burna. A couple of culverts were washed out on county roads. A narrow corridor of excessive rainfall occurred where storms trained across the same areas for several hours. Radar estimated 6 to 9 inches fell in a narrow corridor of west Kentucky from central Livingston across southern Crittenden County. There were a few confirmed rainfall measurements of 7-plus inches in southern Crittenden County. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | $30,000 | Widespread damaging winds occurred across the county. Numerous trees and power lines were down. Near Burna, several trees were uprooted on Highway 60 near the intersection of Highway 135. Seven miles east of Smithland, a damage survey conducted by NWS personnel confirmed several large trees were snapped or uprooted by winds near 75 mph. Wooden building materials were scattered across the front yard of a residence. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | $20,000 | Shingles were blown off roofs. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | $10,000 | Multiple trees were blown down in town. |
| January 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | $10,000 | A building was damaged, and a shed was destroyed. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | $5,000 | Power lines were downed over a road in Salem as a late afternoon thunderstorm crossed Livingston County. |
| April 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | $5,000 | Wind damage was reported between Salem and Grand Rivers. Trees, power lines, and power poles were blown down. Structural damage occurred near Salem. |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | $4,000 | Trees were blown down. |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | $3,000 | Small trees and a few limbs were down between Burna and Salem. |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | - | The public estimated a wind gust to 65 mph. |
| August 2013 | Funnel Cloud | Salem | - | A cone-shaped funnel cloud was photographed. |
| March 2012 | Hail | Salem | - | Golf ball size hail was reported just east of Salem. |
| October 2009 | Heavy Rain | Salem | - | Water was over one lane of Kentucky 723 at the edge of Salem. |
| February 2006 | Heavy Rain | Salem | - | Heavy rain caused flooding of Kentucky 1433, which was closed for a one-mile stretch. |
| April 2023 | Hail | Salem | - | no account filed |
| April 2006 | Hail | Salem | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lola | 5.0 miles | 21 | |
| Mullikin Junction | 5.1 miles | 19 | |
| Pinckneyville | 5.3 miles | 18 | |
| Mitchell Landing | 6.0 miles | 19 | |
| Burna | 6.3 miles | 19 | |
| Moxley Landing | 6.3 miles | 19 | |
| Tiline | 6.3 miles | 18 | |
| Hampton | 6.9 miles | 21 |
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 Q2779641 | 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 502766. 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.













