Salo: population and statistics
Salo has a population of 50,339 (2025) across 1,989.9 km², or 25.3 people per km². It ranks 20 of 308 municipalities by population. Its population is falling: −6.6% between 2015 and 2025.
- 50,339 residents
- 1,989.9 km²
- 25 people/km²
- 9 m
Salo in numbers
Key points
Among the 27 municipalities in Southwest Finland, Salo ranks No. 2 by population.
Largest business sector: Manufacturing, with 22.1% of the area's jobs.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 44° generates about 934 kWh a year here.
Did you know?
- “Business establishments”: higher than in 95% of municipalities.
- “Total dwellings”: higher than in 94% of municipalities.
- “Persons employed in the area (jobs)”: higher than in 93% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 278,700 football pitches.
- The nearest municipality is Sauvo, 24.6 km away.
- The nearest more populous municipality is Turku (209,633 residents), 48 km away.
- A 4 kWp rooftop solar system here would generate about 3,736 kWh a year, roughly what an average household uses.
Population of Salo over time
Salo had 53,890 residents in 2015 and 50,339 in 2025.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 51,562 |
| 2021 | 51,400 |
| 2022 | 50,933 |
| 2023 | 51,100 |
| 2024 | 50,870 |
| 2025 | 50,339 |
All indicators for Salo
Value for the municipality, then the regional average and the national median (for counts: regional and national totals). The gauge places the municipality between the lowest and highest value in the country.
Population
| Indicator | Salo | Southwest Finland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of people aged under 15 (2025) | 12.1% | 13.6% | 13.3% | ranked 196 of 302 | |
| Share of people aged 65 and over (2025) | 30.3% | 24.4% | 31.2% | ranked 170 of 302 | |
| Mean age of the population (2025) | 48.7 years | 44.5 | 48.5 | ranked 143 of 302 | |
| Share of Swedish speakers (2025) | 1.2% | 5.5% | 0.3% | ranked 60 of 302 | |
| Share of foreign nationals (2025) | 6.8% | 7.9% | 3.4% | ranked 43 of 302 |
Housing
| Indicator | Salo | Southwest Finland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total dwellings (2025) | 29,921 no. | 290,562 no. | 3,258,449 no. | ranked 20 of 308 | |
| Share of dwellings built before 1940 (2025) | 9.7% | – | 8.2% | ranked 110 of 302 | |
| Share of dwellings built after 2000 (2025) | 17.4% | – | 14.5% | ranked 114 of 302 | |
| Share of dwellings in detached and semi-detached houses (2025) | 49.7% | – | 64.5% | ranked 247 of 302 | |
| Share of dwellings in blocks of flats (2025) | 28.1% | – | 11.1% | ranked 66 of 302 | |
| Share of dwellings not permanently occupied (2025) | 12.8% | – | 16.9% | ranked 217 of 302 | |
| Free-time residential buildings per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 123.0 /1,000 inh. | 96.5 /1,000 inh. | 186.3 /1,000 inh. | ranked 187 of 302 |
Energy
| Indicator | Salo | Southwest Finland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residential buildings heated with district heating (2025) | 6.8% | – | 3.9% | ranked 86 of 302 | |
| Share of residential buildings heated with electricity (2025) | 41.0% | – | 39.8% | ranked 133 of 302 | |
| Share of residential buildings heated with geothermal heat (2025) | 5.9% | – | 5.5% | ranked 134 of 302 | |
| Share of residential buildings heated with oil or gas (2025) | 23.6% | – | 17.1% | ranked 62 of 302 | |
| Share of residential buildings heated with wood or peat (2025) | 22.3% | – | 29.1% | ranked 196 of 302 |
Economy
| Indicator | Salo | Southwest Finland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business establishments (2024) | 6,317 no. | 54,602 no. | 600,547 no. | ranked 17 of 308 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | 124.2 /1,000 inh. | 110.1 /1,000 inh. | 141.7 /1,000 inh. | ranked 194 of 302 | |
| Median disposable cash income per consumption unit (2024) | 29,176 €/year | – | 29,044 €/year | ranked 140 of 302 | |
| Price per m² of old dwellings in housing companies (2025) | 1,361 €/m² | – | 1,110 €/m² | ranked 77 of 220 | |
| Active companies in the business register (excluding sole traders) (2026) | 3,185 per 1,000 inh. | 30,470 per 1,000 inh. | 335,854 per 1,000 inh. | ranked 20 of 308 | |
| Active companies in the register per 1,000 inhabitants (excluding sole traders) (2026) | 63.3 per 1,000 inh. | 61.2 per 1,000 inh. | 53.9 per 1,000 inh. | ranked 83 of 302 | |
| Companies registered in the last 12 months per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 3.5 per 1,000 inh. | 4.0 per 1,000 inh. | 2.7 per 1,000 inh. | ranked 72 of 302 |
Employment
| Indicator | Salo | Southwest Finland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persons employed in the area (jobs) (2024) | 18,356 no. | 207,169 no. | 2,423,433 no. | ranked 23 of 308 | |
| Unemployed as a share of the labour force (2024) | 11.6% | 11.0% | 10.8% | ranked 120 of 302 | |
| Employment rate (aged 20–64) (2024) | 74.6% | 74.2% | 75.4% | ranked 168 of 302 |
Tourism
| Indicator | Salo | Southwest Finland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beds in accommodation establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 11.0 /1,000 inh. | 24.3 /1,000 inh. | 36.4 /1,000 inh. | ranked 124 of 136 |
Transport
| Indicator | Salo | Southwest Finland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 577 /1,000 inh. | 495 /1,000 inh. | 580 /1,000 inh. | ranked 159 of 302 |
Society
| Indicator | Salo | Southwest Finland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At-risk-of-poverty rate (2024) | 14.4% | 14.8% | 14.3% | ranked 143 of 302 |
Education
| Indicator | Salo | Southwest Finland | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of people aged 15 and over with a tertiary-level qualification (2024) | 27.5% | 33.5% | 24.1% | ranked 89 of 302 |
Business sectors: Salo
Share of each sector in total jobs; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Manufacturing22.1% ×1.8
- Health and social work18.6% ×1.0
- Wholesale and retail trade11.7% ×1.1
- Administrative and support services7.2% ×1.0
- Construction6.1% ×0.9
- Education5.8% ×0.8
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing5.0% ×2.0
- Transport and storage4.4% ×0.9
Sunshine and temperatures: Salo
Where is Salo?
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Salo?
Salo has 50,339 residents (2025), ranking 20 of 308 municipalities.
How big is Salo?
Salo covers 1,989.9 km², with a density of 25 people per km².
Is the population of Salo growing?
Between 2015 and 2025, the population of Salo went from 53,890 to 50,339, a change of −6.6%.
Where is Salo?
Salo is in Southwest Finland. Latitude 60.383, longitude 23.133.
Business establishments: what is the figure for Salo?
In Salo, “Business establishments” stands at 6,317 no. (2024), ranking 17 of 308 municipalities; the national median is 818 no..
Total dwellings: what is the figure for Salo?
In Salo, “Total dwellings” stands at 29,921 no. (2025), ranking 20 of 308 municipalities; the national median is 3,342 no..
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Salo?
In Salo, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 44° produces about 934 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Salo?
The nearest to Salo are Sauvo (25 km), Marttila (26 km), Paimio (26 km), Koski Tl (30 km), Kimitoön (33 km).
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