Main district library plus branch and mobile units, free for on-site reading and lending to members.
Salem has 3.8 public libraries per 10 lakh population, behind the typical district. 13.5% of women read a newspaper regularly, better than the typical district. 48.1% use the internet, better than the typical district. The Public Library remains one of the few free, physical spaces for reading and study in the district.
59% of registered enterprises are in services while 41% are in manufacturing. Only 5% of employment is in small and medium enterprises. 82% of school-age children are enrolled in higher secondary school (classes 9–12).
In Salem, which ranks 24 of 38 in Tamil Nadu for youth opportunity, the overall opportunity score is 49.7 out of 100. It runs ahead of the national picture on young men who read a newspaper regularly at 42.9% and young men using the internet at 64.2%.