Orem uses the moniker "Family City USA". At one time the area was known as Sharon, a Biblical name for a mostly level strip of land running between mountains and the sea and the name of the birth town of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints founder Joseph Smith, and was also known as Provo Bench. In an apparent attempt to attract more investment to the town, in 1914 it was named after Walter C. Orem, who operated a railroad line in the area. Orem was incorporated in 1919.
As of the census of 2000, there were 84,324 people, 23,382 households, and 19,079 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,572.6 people per square mile (1,765.6/km²). There were 24,166 housing units at an average density of 1,310.4/sq mi (506.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.80% White, 0.33% African American, 0.73% Native American, 1.45% Asian, 0.86% Pacific Islander, 3.64% from other races, and 2.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.56% of the population.
There were 23,382 households out of which 48.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.0% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.4% were non-families. 12.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.57 and the average family size was 3.93.
In the city the population was spread out with 35.4% under the age of 18, 17.4% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 14.5% from 45 to 64, and 6.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,529, and the median income for a family was $51,214. Males had a median income of $38,221 versus $22,815 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,590. About 5.8% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.