Updated April 2026 · U.S. Census Bureau, fiscal year 2023
How Much Debt Does Salem, OR Have?
Salem, OR carries $179.1M in total outstanding debt — about $1,019 for every resident. Long-term debt accounts for $232K of that. On CitySpend's Fiscal Health Score, the city's debt-burden factor scores 28/100, and its overall grade is B (68/100). All figures are from the U.S. Census Bureau Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances.
Salem, OR Budget Snapshot
| Total Spending | $2.8B |
| Per Capita Spending | $15,959 |
| Total Revenue | $8.4B |
| Total Debt | $179.1M |
| Debt Per Capita | $1,019 |
| Population | 175,754 |
| Fiscal Health Score | 68/100 (B) |
| Data Year | FY 2023 |
Salem, OR's Debt, Broken Down
Debt-wise, Salem sits close to the peer median for cities its size: $1,019 per resident versus a peer-group median of $0. That tracks with normal capital-program borrowing for streets, water, and public buildings.
What Does the B Grade Mean?
Salem, OR earns a B on the CitySpend Fiscal Health Score (68/100). The city's books are reliably balanced and debt is manageable, with one or two factors (typically pension funding or revenue diversity) keeping the score below A range.
Where the Money Comes From
Where does the money come from? Property tax provides 0 percent of city revenue, sales tax 1 percent, intergovernmental transfers from federal and state sources 12 percent, and direct charges and user fees 5 percent. The remainder comes from utility revenue, income tax (where applicable), and miscellaneous sources.
Where the Money Goes
Of the $2.8B that Salem, OR spent in its most recent reported fiscal year, the largest single line item per resident is Parks & Recreation at $899. Health comes next at $311 per resident. Together those two functions account for the bulk of every-day taxpayer-facing services in the city budget. The remaining categories, parks, health, housing, debt service, and general administration, fill out the picture.
Top Spending Categories (Per Capita)
How This Score Is Calculated
The CitySpend Fiscal Health Score combines six factors into one composite, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances: budget balance and reserves (25%), debt burden per capita versus peer median (20%), pension funded ratio from the Public Plans Database (20%), spending efficiency (15%), revenue diversity (10%), and three-year trend direction (10%). Best-practice weighting follows guidance from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). Read the full methodology.
More about Salem, OR
Salem, OR carries $179.1M in total outstanding debt — about $1,019 for every resident. Long-term debt accounts for $232K of that. On CitySpend's Fiscal Health Score, the city's debt-burden factor scores 28/100, and its overall grade is B (68/100). All figures are from the U.S. Census Bureau Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances.
The data source behind this answer is the Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances. Every figure on the page traces back to that source; the methodology page describes the inputs and the refresh cadence in full detail.
A practical caveat: the headline answer above reflects the most recent the Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances vintage; underlying data is often revised for months after first publication, and the right reference for any specific decision is whichever vintage is current at the time of the decision. The as-of date is stamped on every page.