Global aquaculture has been presented important growth rates over the last decades, has contributed to the food security agenda and SDG’s objectives. However, has been considered a controversial activity raising concerns about environmental impacts, sociocultural and economic issues, and health. Chilean salmon aquaculture has shown impressive development in terms of production growth, but controversies are not exempt in this industry. Despite having created employment at the local level, and is not particularly welcome in the localities where it operates. There is a widespread opinion that local communities have remained relatively excluded from the economic benefits associated with the industry, this may condition the development of an important industrial activity such as salmon aquaculture. The development of this industry raised expectations for its potential positive impact on the communities’ livelihood. In this paper, we will discuss the economic impacts that the salmon industry delivered in southern Chile. The focus is primarily on socio-economic impacts such as employment, the main socioeconomic dimensions analyzed are employment, salaries, poverty, unionism, income distribution, migration, and local economies. The socioeconomic effects that the industry initially triggered are widely criticized in the literature, however, recent performances indicates that these conditions have improved steadily over time.