Salerno: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Salerno, Campania. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
Liveability index free for any address
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Search for an address in Salerno
The report looks at the exact point: landslide and flood risk, seismic zone, price per square metre for the area, services and nearby stops.
For example: Via Luigi Guercio 1, Salerno.
Salerno, on the bay between the Amalfi Coast and Cilento
Salerno stretches along its bay between the Amalfi Coast to the west and the Sele plain leading south towards Cilento. In the Middle Ages it was home to the Scuola Medica Salernitana, a renowned school of medicine; its cathedral holds the relics of St Matthew, and in 1944 the city hosted the Italian government for a few months.
This is a city older than its region. The estimated average age in Salerno is 47.7, against 45.2 for the province, and over-65s make up 26.7%, well above the provincial 22.7% and 20.9% for Campania. At the end of 2023 there were 126,715 residents, 4.4% fewer than in 2011: the largest town in a sprawling province of 158 municipalities, where it holds 12.0% of the population. Foreign residents account for 4.2%.
The province of Salerno has municipalities in three seismic zones: 18 in zone 1, 97 in zone 2 and 43 in zone 3. The city is in zone 2, but its expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is lower than in other towns in the same zone, about 0.105 g, a moderate value. Zone 2 still sets the building rules, so anyone buying in an older block should ask about the structural design and any upgrading work.
Healthcare stands out among the services: Overture Maps data record 194 facilities, 1.53 per 1,000 residents against 0.70 across the province. There are 1,006 cafés and restaurants (7.94 per 1,000 against 6.28), while supermarkets are a little less dense than the provincial average (0.59 against 0.80). The Ministry of Health lists 41 pharmacies.
Salerno's land registry can be consulted: the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) maps are public, and the report identifies the sheet and parcel (foglio and particella) from the address. Between the sea and the hills rising right behind the city, landslide and flood hazard and local prices are checked at the address itself.
Key points
- Home of the medieval Salerno medical school, between the Amalfi Coast and Cilento.
- Older than Campania as a whole: over-65s at 26.7%.
- Seismic zone 2; expected ground acceleration about 0.105 g.
- Healthcare facilities per resident well above the provincial average.
Overview
Salerno is the capital of the province of Salerno, in Campania. At the end of 2023 it had 126,715 residents, the most populous municipality in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Salerno is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (97 of 158) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.105 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in Salerno, the building matters a great deal: ask for the design year, whether it met the 2008 seismic standards, and whether any seismic retrofit has been carried out.
Population
Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 4.4%. The estimated average age is 48 years, higher than the province average (45). 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 21%). Foreign residents make up 4.2% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Salerno declared an average taxable income of 27,023 euros, above the provincial average (19,912 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
Salerno is in climate zone C, with 994 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 November to 31 March, for up to 10 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 4 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Salerno has 125 schools and 41 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 75 grocery shops and supermarkets, 194 healthcare facilities, 138 sports facilities and 19 parks and green areas.
There are 1.5 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.7).
Public transport
We do not yet have open public transport timetables for this municipality: the report says so explicitly, without inventing distances.
How built-up it is
Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 34.6% of the land in Salerno, compared with 8.0% in the province and 10.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 0.7 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
Official databases list 3 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Salerno, and 6 more have been cleaned up or closed. The report tells you whether one is close to the address.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Salerno: the report checks the address against the ISPRA maps.
House prices
The Revenue Agency's price ranges per square metre (OMI) apply to zones, not to whole municipalities: the report gives the range for the address's zone.
Land registry
The cadastral maps for Salerno are public: from the address the report finds the sheet and parcel number.
Liveability area by area
The Vicinalia liveability index runs from 0 to 100 and looks at the place, not the people who live there: services within walking distance, transport, green space, natural hazards, air, quiet, buildings and connection. Here it is worked out at the centre of each of the 1,068 inhabited census areas in Salerno. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 68 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.9%
- fair 28.8%
- good 67.8%
- very good 2.5%
Vicinalia index by census area, licence CC BY-SA 4.0. Data: IdroGEO ISPRA (2026), Istat, INGV, EEA, AGCOM, Overture Maps and OpenStreetMap.
The colour is the value at the centre of the area. For an exact address, search for it above: the free check looks at that exact point. How the index is worked out
Data sources
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 065116. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.