South Salem is a village in Ross County, Ohio, United States.

In 1842, local Presbyterian minister Hugh Stewart Fullerton orchestrated the establishment of a school in southwestern Ross County.

[4] Known as the "Salem Academy," this school became the foundation of the present village: landowner John Sample platted South Salem in 1846 in order better to serve the students and teachers of the school.

Although South Salem incorporated in the 1870s, few other changes occurred during the late years of the nineteenth century.

[3] According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.21 square miles (0.54 km2), all land.

The racial makeup of the village was 98.5% White, 1.0% African American, and 0.5% from two or more races.

About 6.3% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.7% of those under the age of eighteen and 17.4% of those 65 or over.