The borough consisted of the town of Saltash, a market town facing Plymouth and Devonport across the Tamar estuary, and the inhabitants by 1831 were mainly fishermen or Devonport dockworkers.
Saltash borough encompassed the town of Saltash, situated near Plymouth and Devonport on the Tamar estuary, where residents in 1831 were primarily engaged in fishing or dockwork, reflecting the local economy's dependence on these industries.