CensusEasy
COUNTY

Cleveland County

North Carolina · 103,325 residents (2025 est.) · 464 sq mi
Time machine
COMPARE TO
Part of the Shelby micropolitan area
Compare
The short version

Cleveland County is a county of 100,991 people in North Carolina. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 22% of adults. The foreign-born share is 3%. The typical home is worth $200,000, having more than doubled since 2000. Median rent is $914 a month. That trails the North Carolina median by roughly 19%.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 41.3
US median: 38.9
Less educated
22% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 41%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
100,991
+5%since 2000
from 96,287 in 2000
103,325 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
218 / sq mi
+3%since 2009
from 212 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
41.3
+13%since 2000
from 36.5 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
464 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
83K88K93K98K103K19902000201020202024Cleveland County
2024101K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.8%(5,891)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.7%(6,740)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146%(6,036)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.5%(6,586)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246%(6,037)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3412.8%(12,952)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4410.8%(10,957)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.5%(12,667)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6414%(14,129)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7411.3%(11,461)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.5%(5,534)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2%(2,001)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$58,534
−9%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $35,283 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$30,294
+74%since 2000
from $17,395 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
38.3%
+19.6 ptssince 2009
from 18.6% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
16.6%
+3.3 ptssince 2000
from 13.3% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.443
+1%since 2010
from 0.439 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade18.4%
US avg: 9.9%
Information14.9%
US avg: 10.8%
Finance & insurance6.7%
US avg: 5.9%
Wholesale trade6%
US avg: 6.9%
Professional, scientific, technical5.5%
US avg: 5.1%
Other services3.6%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration2.5%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing1.7%
US avg: 2.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.3%
US avg: 1.6%
Education & health services1.2%
US avg: 0.9%
Arts, entertainment, food1.2%
US avg: 1.9%
Construction1.1%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0.2%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$200,000
+41%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $77,600 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$914
+12%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $447 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
70.9%
−2.0 ptssince 2000
from 72.8% in 2000
29.1% rent
Vacancy rate
12.3%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 12.1% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.55 people
+1%since 2009
from 2.53 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
17.7%
−8.4 ptssince 2009
from 26.1% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
43.3%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 42.5% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.4
+29%since 2009
from 2.6 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
62
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic76.2%(73,357)
Black20.8%(20,010)
Hispanic / Latino1.5%(1,433)
Asian0.7%(647)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic70.6%(71,321)
Black17.9%(18,030)
Hispanic / Latino4.7%(4,792)
Asian0.9%(953)
Other5.8%(5,895)
Diversity Score
58
+20%since 2009
from 48 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
23
−11%since 2020
from 26 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican3.1%(3,162)
Puerto Rican0.4%(415)
Cuban0.2%(196)
Guatemalan0.2%(168)
Salvadoran0.2%(156)
Colombian0.1%(124)
Honduran0.1%(116)
Spaniard0%(21)
+ 2 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Laotian0.3%(303)
Filipino0.2%(216)
Asian Indian0.1%(150)
Chinese0.1%(110)
Pakistani0.1%(79)
Korean0%(32)
Thai0%(29)
Japanese0%(18)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(1)
Ancestry
American20.9%(21,102)
English11.1%(11,247)
German8.2%(8,329)
Irish8.2%(8,262)
Scottish2%(2,019)
Italian1.3%(1,342)
French1.2%(1,243)
Scotch-Irish1.1%(1,120)
Polish0.7%(719)
British0.4%(430)
Welsh0.4%(373)
+ 33 more ancestry groups with data
Dutch0.3%(344)
Swedish0.3%(332)
West Indian0.3%(259)
Greek0.2%(188)
Canadian0.2%(155)
Hungarian0.1%(139)
Swiss0.1%(127)
Guyanese0.1%(118)
Portuguese0.1%(90)
Slovak0.1%(88)
Norwegian0.1%(73)
Belgian0.1%(68)
Romanian0.1%(68)
Austrian0.1%(65)
Arab0.1%(60)
Russian0.1%(58)
Nigerian0.1%(51)
Jamaican0%(50)
Ukrainian0%(44)
Czech0%(37)
Danish0%(36)
Egyptian0%(33)
Barbadian0%(30)
Croatian0%(26)
Serbian0%(25)
Turkish0%(19)
Jordanian0%(15)
Syrian0%(12)
Finnish0%(9)
Slovene0%(8)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
22.0%
+8.7 ptssince 2000
from 13.3% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
88.4%
+16.2 ptssince 2000
from 72.2% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
8.0%
+3.7 ptssince 2000
from 4.3% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
25.3 min
+59%since 2000
from 15.9 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
82.2%
−3.6 ptssince 2009
from 85.8% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
9.1%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 8.8% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.0%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
6.8%
+4.6 ptssince 2009
from 2.3% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.3%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 1.4% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.0%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.1% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
5.0%
−2.0 ptssince 2009
from 7.0% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.2%
−7.9 ptssince 2011
from 13.1% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
58.7%
−0.8 ptssince 2011
from 59.5% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
70.0%
+2.4 ptssince 2020
from 67.6% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
14.4%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 14.7% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
33.2%
+4.9 ptssince 2009
from 28.3% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.3%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 47.8% in 2009
Female
51.7%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 52.2% in 2009
Foreign born
3.1%
+1.4 ptssince 2009
from 1.8% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
7.3%
−3.2 ptssince 2009
from 10.5% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
16.8%
−0.3 ptssince 2012
from 17.1% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
9.3%
−6.5 ptssince 2013
from 15.8% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
85.0%
+23.2 ptssince 2017
from 61.8% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
91.3%
+8.0 ptssince 2020
from 83.3% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
90.7%
+1.9 ptssince 2020
from 88.8% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
94.9%
−0.7 ptssince 2016
from 95.6% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
3.6%
+0.9 ptssince 2016
from 2.7% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married33%(12,986)
Married53.5%(21,063)
Widowed3.5%(1,372)
Divorced10%(3,926)
Women 15+
Never married27.7%(11,897)
Married48.8%(20,972)
Widowed11.3%(4,842)
Divorced12.3%(5,266)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
9.3%
−6.5 ptssince 2013
from 15.8% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
46.0%
−3.3 ptssince 2020
from 49.3% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
13.4%
−3.6 ptssince 2020
from 17.0% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
22.3%
−0.4 ptssince 2020
from 22.7% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
26.5%
+3.5 ptssince 2020
from 23.0% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.8%
−0.6 ptssince 2020
from 3.4% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
58.3%
−2.4 ptssince 2020
from 60.7% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
45.3%
+3.5 ptssince 2020
from 41.8% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)20%(1,145)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)24%(1,371)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era34.5%(1,971)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4.6%(265)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.4%(25)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 5,720 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

Places similar to Cleveland County

Houston County
Pop 110,318
Garland County
Pop 99,695
Delaware County
Pop 113,106
Marshall County
Pop 103,537
Places similar to Cleveland County
Head to head

Compare Cleveland County to nearby counties

CLEVELAND COUNTY VS
Cherokee County
Income$50,288−14%
Home value$142,000−29%
Population58,275−44%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CLEVELAND COUNTY VS
Rutherford County
Income$51,410−12%
Home value$201,800+1%
Population65,745−36%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CLEVELAND COUNTY VS
Lincoln County
Income$80,016+37%
Home value$321,000+61%
Population98,654−5%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CLEVELAND COUNTY VS
Gaston County
Income$67,478+15%
Home value$266,000+33%
Population246,558+139%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Cleveland County, North Carolina?

Cleveland County, North Carolina has about 100,991 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Cleveland County, North Carolina?

The typical household in Cleveland County, North Carolina earns about $58,534 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Cleveland County, North Carolina expensive?

In Cleveland County, North Carolina, the median home is worth about $200,000, and the typical rent is about $914 a month.

How educated are people in Cleveland County, North Carolina?

About 22.0% of adults age 25 and over in Cleveland County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Cleveland County, North Carolina?

About 16.6% of people in Cleveland County, North Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Cleveland County, North Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Cleveland County, North Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 16,277 residents, a change of about 19 percent over that period.

Keep going

Explore from here

DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →