Salem

Salem is a district in the Tamil Nadu State of India. Total area of Salem is 5,237 km² including 4,561.41 km² rural area and 675.59 km² urban area. As per 2011 stats, Salem has a population of 34,82,056 peoples, out of which urban population is 17,74,122 while rural population is 17,07,934. Salem has a sex ratio of approximately 954 females for every 1,000 males. The district has a population density of 665 inhabitants per square kilometre. There are about 9,15,967 houses in the district, including 4,63,944 urban houses and 4,52,023 rural houses. When it comes to villages, there are about 517 villages in salem district.

The Salem district is further divided in to Talukas / Blocks / PS / Community Development Blocks (C.D.Blocks) for administrative purposes. In India, the Block or C.D.Block is often the next level of administrative division after the tehsil. It is important to note that, In some states of India C.D.Blocks are equal to tehsils.

For those who don't know, the C.D.Block is a rural area earmarked for administration and development in India. The area is administered by a BDO (Block Development Officer). A C.D.Block covers several gram panchayats, local administrative unit at the village level.

Attur is the largest taluka in salem district covering area of 1166.02 km² while Edappadi is the smallest taluka in salem district covering area of 317.64 km². Salem is the most populous whereas Yercaud is the least populous taluka in salem district. There are 9 talukas in Salem district. Here is the list of all Salem Talukas / Blocks / C.D.Blocks along with area & population information.

List of CD Blocks / Talukas in Salem District

#Taluka (CD Block)Area (km²)Population (2011)
1Attur1,1664,30,949
2Edappadi3182,23,756
3Gangavalli5251,61,302
4Mettur7754,19,887
5Omalur6664,94,355
6Salem53912,72,743
7Sankari4242,41,783
8Vazhapadi4391,95,412
9Yercaud38541,869

Population of Salem District

The population of Salem offers a clear picture of how people are spread across its villages and towns. In the sections below, you’ll find details about total population, gender-wise distribution, child population, literacy rates, social groups like SC and ST, household count, and population density. Together, this information helps understand the structure and diversity of the district.

Basic Population Details

This section covers important demographic figures of Salem, including the number of males and females, children aged 0–6, total households, and literacy status in rural and urban areas. These indicators highlight the human development status and help identify gaps in basic services like education and housing.

Particulars Total Rural Urban
Total Population 34,82,056 17,07,934 17,74,122
Total Male Population 17,81,571 8,83,274 8,98,297
Total Female Population 17,00,485 8,24,660 8,75,825
Child Population (Age 0–6) 3,44,960 1,73,421 1,71,539
Male Child Population (Age 0–6) 1,80,002 91,351 88,651
Female Child Population (Age 0–6) 1,64,958 82,070 82,888
Literate Population 22,85,562 10,08,761 12,76,801
Literate Male Population 12,85,107 5,90,535 6,94,572
Literate Female Population 10,00,455 4,18,226 5,82,229
Illiterate Population 11,96,494 6,99,173 4,97,321
Illiterate Male Population 4,96,464 2,92,739 2,03,725
Illiterate Female Population 7,00,030 4,06,434 2,93,596
Households 9,15,967 4,52,023 4,63,944

Social Structure and Density

This part highlights the distribution of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) populations within Salem. It also includes data on how densely people live in rural versus urban areas. Together, these figures offer insights into community spread and the pressure on local infrastructure and services.

Particulars Total Rural Urban
Total SC Population 5,80,512 3,18,693 2,61,819
SC Male Population 2,94,062 1,62,603 1,31,459
SC Female Population 2,86,450 1,56,090 1,30,360
Total ST Population 1,19,369 1,10,233 9,136
ST Male Population 60,489 55,806 4,683
ST Female Population 58,880 54,427 4,453
Population Density 665 / km² 374 / km² 2,626 / km²