Cleveland County, NC

County

Add Comparison

2024 Population

100,991

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

41.3

0.243% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

16.6%

3.7% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$58,534

4.96% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$200,000

11% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

45,005

1.36% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Cleveland County, NC reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

98.3% of the residents in Cleveland County, NC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Cleveland County, NC are Gardner-Webb University (1,036 degrees awarded in 2023) and Cleveland Community College (736 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Cleveland County, NC was $200,000, and the homeownership rate was 70.9%.

Most people in Cleveland County, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 25.3 minutes. The average car ownership in Cleveland County, NC was 2 cars per household.

Cleveland County, NC borders Burke County, NC, Gaston County, NC, Lincoln County, NC, Rutherford County, NC, Cherokee County, SC, and York County, SC.

United States North Carolina Shelby, NC

Population & Diversity

Cleveland County, NC is home to a population of 101k people, from which 98.3% are citizens. As of 2024, 3.12% of Cleveland County, NC residents were born outside of the country (3.15k people).

In 2024, there were 3.96 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (71.3k people) in Cleveland County, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 18k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 4.67k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.3%

2024 Citizenship

98.6%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.3% of Cleveland County, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Cleveland County, NC was 98.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Cleveland County, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Cleveland County, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
71.3k ± 352
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
18k ± 972
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
4.67k ± 904

4.74%

Hispanic Population

4.79k people

4.74% of the people in Cleveland County, NC are hispanic (4.79k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Cleveland County, NC as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for North Carolina.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
224,963 ± 11,520 people
India
83,219 ± 7,055 people
Honduras
48,247 ± 5,380 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 224,963 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 83,219 and Honduras with 48,247.

Foreign-Born Population

3.12%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

3.15k people

2.95%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

2.96k people

As of 2024, 3.12% of Cleveland County, NC residents (3.15k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Cleveland County, NC was 2.95%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Cleveland County, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,910 ± 379
Gulf War (2001-)
1,145 ± 259
Gulf War (1990s)
1,079 ± 287

Cleveland County, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.67 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Cleveland County, NC.

Economy

The economy of Cleveland County, NC employs 45k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Cleveland County, NC were Manufacturing (8,276 people), Retail Trade (6,722 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (6,075 people), and the highest paying industries were Finance & Insurance ($74,462), Utilities ($73,319), and Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($63,018).

Employment

Occupations

45k

2024 Value

± 1,764

1.36%

1 Year growth

± 5.62%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Cleveland County, NC grew at a rate of 1.36%, from 44.4k employees to 45k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Cleveland County, NC, are Production Occupations (5,676 people), Sales & Related Occupations (5,231 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (4,119 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Cleveland County, NC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in North Carolina (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

45k

2024 Value

± 1,764

1.36%

1 Year growth

± 5.62%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Cleveland County, NC grew at a rate of 1.36%, from 44.4k employees to 45k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Cleveland County, NC, are Manufacturing (8,276 people), Retail Trade (6,722 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (6,075 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Cleveland County, NC, though some of these residents may live in Cleveland County, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$44,212

Median earning men ± $1,712

$35,188

Median earning women ± $1,476

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($99,205), Information ($68,000), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($54,025).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($60,282), Manufacturing ($46,271), and Public Administration ($43,583).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

Y-Axis

3.04%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.86M people employed in North Carolina. This represents a 3.04% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in North Carolina.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

190
Other Services (except Public Administration)
179
Retail Trade
130
Construction

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$381k
Manufacturing
$340k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$130k
Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

In 2023, universities in Cleveland County, NC awarded 1,772 degrees. The student population of Cleveland County, NC in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 1,718 male students and 3,297 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Cleveland County, NC are White (1,141 and 64.4%), Black or African American (357 and 20.1%), Unknown (126 and 7.11%), and Hispanic or Latino (86 and 4.85%).

The largest universities in Cleveland County, NC by number of degrees awarded are Gardner-Webb University (1,036 and 58.5%) and Cleveland Community College (736 and 41.5%).

The most popular majors in Cleveland County, NC are Liberal Arts & Sciences (248 and 14%), General Educational Leadership & Administration (207 and 11.7%), and General Business Administration & Management (154 and 8.69%).

The median tuition cost in Cleveland County, NC for private four year colleges is $32,470.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Cleveland County, NC, the percentage of applicants admitted was 87%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 10.1%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 5,015 (34.3% men and 65.7% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 5,015 students enrolled in Cleveland County, NC, 34.3% men and 65.7% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 2,833 records, of which 66.4% were women and 33.6% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Educational Leadership & Administration
173 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
95 degrees awarded
Physician Assistant
32 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Masters Degree recipients in Cleveland County, NC was General Educational Leadership & Administration with 173 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Masters Degree from schools in Cleveland County, NC according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Gardner-Webb University
1,036 degrees awarded
Cleveland Community College
736 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Gardner-Webb University with 1,036 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 575 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Cleveland County, NC, which is 0.48 times less than the 1,197 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,141 degrees mean that there were 3.2 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 357 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($32,470) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($980) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,200) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Cleveland County, NC was $200,000 in 2024, which is 0.601 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $180,200 to $200,000, a 11% increase. The homeownership rate in Cleveland County, NC is 70.9%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Cleveland County, NC have an average commute time of 25.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Cleveland County, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 15.2% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Cleveland County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.92%.

Housing

Property

$200,000

Median Property Value 2024

±$8,612

$27,540

Median Property Taxes

±$1,464

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Cleveland County, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Cleveland County, NC compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

70.9%

Homeownership

2024

68.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 70.9% of the housing units in Cleveland County, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 70.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Cleveland County, NC compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$58,534

Median Household Income

± $2,730

38.9k

Number of Households

± 1,611

In 2024, the median household income of the 38.9k households in Cleveland County, NC grew to $58,534 from the previous year's value of $55,769.

The following chart displays the households in Cleveland County, NC distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Cleveland County, NC is from North Carolina.

0.467

2023 Wage GINI in North Carolina

0.47

2022 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2023, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.467 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.639% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in North Carolina in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in North Carolina across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (82.2%)
Carpooled (9.11%)
Worked At Home (6.82%)

In 2024, 82.2% of workers in Cleveland County, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.11%) and those who worked at home (6.82%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

25.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Cleveland County, NC have a shorter commute time (25.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.05% of the workforce in Cleveland County, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Cleveland County, NC compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Cleveland County, NC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Cleveland County, NC have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 15.2% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Cleveland County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.92%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

16.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Cleveland County, NC (16.4k out of 99k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 6 - 11 and then Females 45 - 54.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Cleveland County, NC is White, followed by Black and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 26% of the children was living in poverty in Cleveland County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 9.6%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 188 in Cleveland County, NC. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 26.3 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

90.7% of the population of Cleveland County, NC has health coverage, with 39.4% on employee plans, 22.5% on Medicaid, 14.9% on Medicare, 12.2% on non-group plans, and 1.74% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Cleveland County, NC see 2,281 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,281 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2397 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 611 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.2% were men and 51.8% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,281 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Cleveland County, NC

Primary care physicians in Cleveland County, NC see an average of 2,281 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,281 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Cleveland County, NC in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 23.8% under 18 years, 20% between 18 and 34 years, 37.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 18.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.2% were men and 51.8% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

9.33%

Uninsured

39.4%

Employer Coverage

22.5%

Medicaid

14.9%

Medicare

12.2%

Non-Group

1.74%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Cleveland County, NC declined by 10% from 10.4% to 9.33%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Cleveland County, NC changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 63 in Cleveland County, NC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Cleveland County, NC.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 37.8% in Cleveland County, NC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Cleveland County, NC.