Salisbury at a glance
| County | Rowan County (Salisbury is the county seat) |
|---|---|
| Population | 35,540 (2020 Census); about 36,879 (Census estimate, July 2025) |
| Rowan County | 146,875 (2020 Census); about 155,096 (July 2025 estimate) |
| Median sale price | About $300K (Redfin Data Center, Jun–Aug 2026) |
| Main roads | I-85 (exits 74, 75 and 76 serve Salisbury) |
| Train | Amtrak station at 215 Depot Street (Piedmont, Carolinian and Crescent) |
| Hospitals | Novant Health Rowan Medical Center; W.G. (Bill) Hefner VA Medical Center |
| Airports | Charlotte Douglas (CLT) and Piedmont Triad (PTI), each within about 45 minutes |
Where Salisbury is, and how the commute works
Salisbury sits on I-85 between Charlotte and the Triad. Uptown Charlotte is about 39 miles southwest, roughly 45 minutes without heavy traffic. Exits 74, 75 and 76 all serve the city, and exit 76 is the one for Catawba College.
Salisbury is also one of the few towns in the region with passenger rail. Amtrak's Piedmont, Carolinian and Crescent trains stop at the downtown station on Depot Street, and the ride to Charlotte takes a little under an hour.
Cost of living: property taxes
Your tax bill comes from Rowan County, and if the home is inside Salisbury city limits, the city rate is added. The city's FY2026–27 budget, adopted in June 2026, raised the city rate by 1.9 cents, from 68.4 to about 70.3 cents per $100 of assessed value. Rowan County's rate was 58 cents per $100 in FY2025–26, and the county's FY2026–27 budget proposal kept it the same. Inside the city, that's roughly $1.28 per $100 combined, before any fire district or other charges. Homes outside the city pay county tax only (plus any fire district tax).
Tip: Before you make an offer, ask for 12 months of utility bills, especially on older homes near downtown. Energy costs vary a lot with insulation and HVAC age. I'll also check whether a home is inside the city limits, since that changes the tax bill and which services you get.
Schools and colleges
Rowan-Salisbury Schools serves the city and county. High schools include Salisbury High (500 Lincolnton Road), North Rowan, West Rowan, East Rowan, Carson, South Rowan and Rowan County Early College. Which school a home is assigned to depends on the exact address, so always check with the district.
Salisbury is a college town, too:
- Catawba College, founded in 1851 and in Salisbury since 1925, on West Innes Street.
- Livingstone College, a historically Black college founded in 1879 and in Salisbury since 1882.
- Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, North Campus at 1333 Jake Alexander Boulevard.
- Hood Theological Seminary, a graduate school of theology.
Things to do in Salisbury
- Downtown: Bell Tower Green, a three-acre park at 130 S. Main Street that opened in 2021, with an amphitheater and a splash pad. Downtown also has the Rowan Museum (202 N. Main Street), Waterworks Visual Arts Center and Piedmont Players at the Meroney Theater.
- Dan Nicholas Park: a free county park on Bringle Ferry Road with paddle boats on Lake Murtis, the Rowan Wild animal area, a nature center, a gem mine and a campground.
- N.C. Transportation Museum: in neighboring Spencer, on the grounds of the old Southern Railway Spencer Shops, including the Bob Julian Roundhouse. Check seasonal hours before you go.
- Hurley Park and the Salisbury Greenway: an 18-acre garden park on Annandale Avenue, plus a city greenway system that's been growing since 2000.
- OctoberTour: the Historic Salisbury Foundation's annual tour of historic homes. The 2026 tour is October 10–11.
- Cheerwine Festival: a downtown street festival celebrating the soft drink created here in 1917. The 2026 festival was held in May.
- New Sarum Brewing: a downtown brewery and taproom at 109 N. Lee Street.
- High Rock Lake: about 15,000 acres of water on the east side of the county for boating and fishing.
A little history
Rowan County was formed in 1753, and Salisbury has been its county seat ever since. Settlers arrived by the Great Wagon Road in the mid-1700s. The town is named for Salisbury, England, and has a sister-city relationship with it. Andrew Jackson studied law here. During the Civil War, Salisbury held North Carolina's only Confederate prison, and the Salisbury National Cemetery grew out of it. Railroads made Salisbury a major hub in the late 1800s, and the downtown train station and the Salisbury Railroad Corridor Historic District still show that history.
Jobs and the local economy
Rowan Economic Development lists the Salisbury VA Health Care System (the W.G. "Bill" Hefner VA Medical Center on Brenner Avenue) as the county's largest employer, followed by Food Lion, whose headquarters is in Salisbury, Rowan-Salisbury Schools, Daimler Truck North America and Novant Health Rowan Medical Center. Chewy also runs a large distribution center near Long Ferry Road and I-85. Cheerwine is still headquartered in Salisbury.
Where to live in Salisbury
It depends on your budget and lifestyle. My Salisbury neighborhoods guide covers the historic districts, established neighborhoods and newer subdivisions. If you want something brand new, see new construction in Salisbury. If you want to be a bit closer to Kannapolis and Charlotte, look at China Grove.