Salem is located about 60 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean in the Willamette Valley and about halfway between Portland and Eugene. The Willamette River flows on the western edge of the central city. The city is bounded by the Coast Range of mountains on the west and the Cascade Range on the east. Moist Pacific air is the dominant weather feature, moderating temperatures year round. The city and especially the nearby mountains receive a large amount of rainfall; more than 70 percent occurs between November and March and only about 6 percent during the summer. Severe storms and extreme temperatures are uncommon.
| 46.37 square miles (2000) | |
| 171 feet above sea level at State Capitol | |
| January, 40.3° F; August, 67.0° F; annual average, 52.6° F | |
| 39.2 inches of rain, 6.4 inches of snow |
