Cleveland County, North Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Cleveland County, NC Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 73% of counties in North Carolina
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 77% of counties in North Carolina
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Cleveland County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 100,962 | 10,724,323 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 215.8 | 199.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.48% | 0.97% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.3 | 37.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 38,848 | 4,279,225 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Cleveland County grew by 2.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 100,962 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Cleveland County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.3% of residents. That is 0.7 points above North Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 20,486 20.3% -1.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 18,801 18.6% -2.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 21,463 21.3% +0.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 19,607 19.4% +2.4 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below North Carolina, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.9% of the people living in Cleveland County and men 48.1%.
- Women 51.9% North Carolina 51.1%
- Men 48.1% North Carolina 48.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Cleveland County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Cleveland County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Cleveland County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $58,567 | $72,438 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.17% | 5.20% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.2% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Cleveland County is about 19% lower than in North Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Cleveland County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $104,677 | $278,288 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $913 | $1,227 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 70.9% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Cleveland County is about 9.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $913 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Cleveland County spend about 43 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 178 hours, about 7.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Cleveland County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.3 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 42.7 | 43.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 178 | 182 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,509 | $5,645 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 6.8% | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,252 | 8,330 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 937 | 1,609 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
North Carolina:
Macon County (17.2 min), Watauga County (17.2 min), Dare County (17.4 min).
Slowest:
Gates County (35.9 min), Currituck County (33.9 min), Tyrrell County (33.6 min).
The average commute time in Cleveland County is 21 minutes, shorter than the 22 minutes in North Carolina.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Cleveland County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Cleveland County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 17.7% | 31.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.55 | 2.44 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
North Carolina:
Orange County (0.5), Wake County (0.4), Durham County (0.4).
Lowest:
Hyde County (0.2), Greene County (0.2), Tyrrell County (0.2).
Health
Cleveland County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Cleveland County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.6 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.6% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.4% | 20.7% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
North Carolina:
Orange County (0.8), Wake County (0.8), Watauga County (0.8).
Lowest:
Robeson County (0.8), Lenoir County (0.8), Halifax County (0.8).
Cleveland County, NC Compared With Nearby Counties
Cleveland County, NC is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 100,962 residents against a local median of 87,684. Cleveland County, NC's median home price, at $104,677, runs 50% below the $208,491 typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread $349,105 on median home price, so Cleveland County, NC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Cleveland County, NC has the 5th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland County, NC | 100,962 | $58,567 #4/6 | $104,677 #5/6 | 21.3 min #2/6 |
| Cherokee County, SC | 56,649 | $50,370 | $429,025 | 21.7 min |
| Lincoln County, NC | 92,729 | $78,296 | $165,739 | 27.9 min |
| Rutherford County, NC | 64,922 | $51,879 | $290,943 | 21.7 min |
| Gaston County, NC | 234,809 | $67,093 | $208,491 | 23.8 min |
| Burke County, NC | 87,684 | $59,001 | $79,920 | 18.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Cleveland County, North Carolina.
How many people live in Cleveland County, North Carolina?
About 100,962 people live in Cleveland County, North Carolina, in 38,848 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 42.3, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Cleveland County, North Carolina mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Cleveland County, North Carolina has 216 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 2.5 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Cleveland County, North Carolina?
The median home costs 1.8 times the median household income ($104,677 against $58,567), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $913 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Cleveland County, North Carolina?
17.7% of adults in Cleveland County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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