Global aquaculture has presented significant growth rates over the last decades and 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 production growth, but controversies are not exempt in this industry. Despite having created employment at the local level, it 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. In this paper, we discuss the socio-economic impacts that the salmon industry delivered in southern Chile. The focus is primarily on variables such as employment, salaries, poverty, unionism, income distribution, and migration. Although the socioeconomic effects that the industry initially triggered are widely criticized in the literature, the performance of recent decades indicates that these conditions have improved steadily over time, specifically significantly contributing to the country’s economic growth and development, particularly in rural areas. The industry has created well-paying jobs, increased female labor participation, mitigated poverty rates, reduced income inequality, and provided an alternative for people with limited employment opportunities.