It is the capital and largest city of North Hwanghae Province.

Sariwŏn is divided into 31 tong (neighbourhoods) and 9 ri (villages): Sariwŏn has the only pediatric hospital (founded by Hungarians in the 1950s) in the entire region; it serves 16 districts and 500,000 children and teens annually.

The "Sariwŏn Folklore street" was constructed during Kim Jong-il's rule.

Many older style Korean buildings exist in the city.

It has three main buildings and includes a gym and a swimming pool.