What is the Best Neighborhoods USA ranking for West Salem?
West Salem is ranked #129 of 185 eligible neighborhoods in Winston-Salem; #382 of 535 eligible neighborhoods in NC; and #11,104 of 14,967 eligible neighborhoods in the United States.
Neighborhood Profile
West Salem
Winston-Salem, NC | Forsyth County
Scored premium profile
Best Neighborhoods USA Index
39.7
Stability and Strength
25.7
Value Opportunity
30.2
Momentum
75.4
Score note: Rankings show denominators so users always see the size of the eligible cohort.
| Context | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Winston-Salem, NC |
| County | Forsyth County |
| National rank | #11,104 of 14,967 |
| State rank | #382 of 535 |
| City rank | #129 of 185 |
| County rank | #133 of 189 |
| National percentile | 25.8 |
| National band | MIDDLE_50_PERCENT |
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Housing and local fundamentals
| Housing and market metrics | Value |
|---|---|
| Current Zillow home value | $262,788 |
| Year-over-year home value change | 3.1% |
| Month-over-month home value change | 0.41% |
| Home value to income ratio | 6.47 |
| Median household income | $40,617 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 44.1% |
| Civilian unemployment rate | 8.2% |
| Homeownership rate | 44.5% |
| Housing vacancy rate | 17.0% |
| Rent burden 30% or higher | 79.3% |
How to read this profile
- Ranks are always shown with denominators.
- Momentum reflects both year-over-year and month-over-month housing change.
- Stability and Strength and Value Opportunity are governed composite scores.
- Identity composition is descriptive intelligence and is not a scoring component.
Questions and Answers
Questions About Living in West Salem
Is West Salem one of the best neighborhoods in Winston-Salem?
West Salem has a Best Neighborhoods USA Index of 39.7 and a city ranking of #129 of 185 eligible neighborhoods in Winston-Salem.
How much are homes worth in West Salem?
The current Zillow Home Value Index for West Salem is approximately $262,788.
Are home values rising or falling in West Salem?
Zillow neighborhood values changed 3.1% year over year and 0.41% month over month.
What is the Neighborhood Momentum Score for West Salem?
West Salem has a Neighborhood Momentum Score of 75.4. Momentum is 70% year-over-year and 30% month-over-month Zillow housing change.
What is the median household income in West Salem?
The NDS-derived neighborhood median household income is approximately $40,617.
How affordable is West Salem relative to household income?
The current Zillow home-value-to-household-income ratio is 6.47. Price-to-income affordability is a major Value Opportunity input.
Is West Salem primarily homeowners or renters?
The NDS-derived homeownership rate is approximately 44.5%.
What is the unemployment rate in West Salem?
The NDS-derived civilian unemployment rate is approximately 8.2%.
How educated are residents of West Salem?
Approximately 44.1% of residents age 25 and older are estimated to have a bachelor's degree or higher.
What share of renters in West Salem face high rent burden?
Approximately 79.3% of the applicable renter-household universe is estimated to spend 30% or more of household income on gross rent.
How does Best Neighborhoods USA score West Salem?
The overall index combines 40% Stability and Strength, 35% Value Opportunity, and 25% Momentum. Race, ethnicity, and identity composition are not scoring components.
Governed ranking context
How this neighborhood ranks
HMDA Mortgage Intelligence
Neighborhood Mortgage Market
Modeled neighborhood-level mortgage activity allocated from governed HMDA tract data using Zillow neighborhood geometry. These neighborhood values are nonadditive and do not enter the Best Neighborhoods USA Index.
Activity year2024
Estimated applications43
Estimated originations26
Home-purchase applications22
Origination rate60.2%
Home-purchase share49.7%
Average application loan$262,812
Total application loan amount$11,393,467
National application rank#7,807 of 14,874 rankable neighborhoods
Geometry coverage100.0%
Recent trend: Applications -4.5% YoY; originations -4.2% YoY
Mortgage methodology
HMDA is natively reported at tract and other lender-reporting geographies, not Zillow neighborhood or ZIP geography. This module uses the certified NDS HMDA-to-Zillow tract-vintage crosswalk and area-weighted allocation. Rankings require governed geometry coverage. Applicant demographics are excluded. Neighborhood values may overlap and must not be summed to reconstruct ZIP or national totals.