South Salem is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in Ross County,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, United States. The population was 219 at the 2020 census.

History

In 1842, local

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

minister Hugh Stewart Fullerton orchestrated the establishment of a school in southwestern Ross County. Known as the " Salem Academy," this school became the foundation of the present village: landowner John Sample

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted South Salem in 1846 in order better to serve the students and teachers of the school. After two years of rapid growth, the village reached the point that it could easily serve the needs of the school, and growth ceased. Although South Salem incorporated in the 1870s, few other changes occurred during the late years of the nineteenth century. In 1917, its population was deemed to be between 350 and 400 residents, a size that had remained consistent since the 1850s. The Salem Academy (by then known as the "South Salem Academy") closed in 1907 due to competition from other schools,Marker #4-71: Salem Academy
Ohio Channel and the

Ohio Historical Society Ohio History Connection, formerly The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society and Ohio Historical Society, is a nonprofit organization incorporated in 1885. Headquartered at the Ohio History Center in Columbus, Ohio, Ohio History Connect ...

, 2006. Accessed September 2, 2010. and since that time, the village has declined in population.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the village has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 204 people, 80 households, and 58 families residing in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 84 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.0%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, and 0.5% from two or more races. There were 80 households, of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.5% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age in the village was 42 years. 23% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.5% were from 25 to 44; 31.3% were from 45 to 64; and 12.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 213 people, 77 households, and 60 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 81 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 96.24%

, 0.94%

, 0.47% Native American, 0.94% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.41% of the population. There were 77 households, out of which 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.9% were

living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.8% were non-families. 16.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.11. In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 113.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males. The median income for a household in the village was $32,500, and the median income for a family was $37,250. Males had a median income of $31,563 versus $22,500 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $12,762. About 6.3% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 17.7% of those under the age of eighteen and 17.4% of those 65 or over.

References

{{authority control Populated places established in 1846 Villages in Ross County, Ohio 1846 establishments in Ohio Villages in Ohio