• county
  • FIPS 37045
  • Largest town: Shelby

Cleveland County, North Carolina

Cleveland County had 102,194 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 464.3 square miles of land. It ranks 29th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 50th by land area.

Population
102,194
#29 of 100 in North Carolina · #611 in US
Area
464.3 sq mi
#50 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,214 in US
Density
220 / sq mi
#25 of 100 in North Carolina · #535 in US
Median household income
$61,411
#46 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,699 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Cleveland County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Cleveland County

Cleveland County population, land area and income

Cleveland County had 102,194 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 464.3 square miles of land. It ranks 29th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 50th by land area. That works out to 220.1 people per square mile, 2.3 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in North Carolina has 52,768 residents; Cleveland County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $61,411 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

102,194

3144th1st

611th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

464 sq mi

3144th1st

2214th of 3,144 (US)

Density

220.1 / sq mi

3144th1st

535th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$61,411

3143rd1st

1699th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

102,194

100th1st

29th of 100 (NC)

Land area

464 sq mi

100th1st

50th of 100 (NC)

Density

220.1 / sq mi

100th1st

25th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$61,411

100th1st

46th of 100 (NC)

How Cleveland County's population changed since 2020

Cleveland County gained 2,249 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 2.3%. That ranks 62nd of 100 in North Carolina for growth. The median North Carolina county changed by +2.7%, and the state as a whole by +5.7%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Cleveland County recorded 4,697 births and 6,353 deaths, a natural change of -1,656. Net international migration added +221 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +4,144. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 4,144 people.

99.9k2020100.5k2021100.8k2022101.6k2023102.2k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
4,697
Deaths
6,353
Net international migration
+221
Net domestic migration
+4,144
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+633

Where Cleveland County is

The Census internal point of Cleveland County is at 35.334600, -81.557100. It sits in UTM zone 17N. The map shades North Carolina's 100 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Cleveland County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Scotland County: +1.4%Rockingham County: +2.5%Franklin County: +15.6%Caswell County: -0.5%Stokes County: +2.9%Granville County: +2.3%Edgecombe County: +0.7%Randolph County: +2.8%Alexander County: +0.8%Person County: +2.4%Cherokee County: +5.2%Ashe County: +2.5%Davidson County: +5.2%Cabarrus County: +7.8%Mecklenburg County: +8.1%Burke County: +1.5%Cumberland County: +0.4%Northampton County: -4.9%Buncombe County: +3.5%Wilson County: +0.8%Bladen County: +0.5%Pitt County: +4.1%Yancey County: +2.7%Stanly County: +7.4%Harnett County: +9.3%Wilkes County: +0.5%Tyrrell County: +8.8%Pamlico County: +1.9%Hoke County: +6.0%Transylvania County: +2.5%Carteret County: +3.8%Durham County: +6.5%Anson County: +1.8%Pender County: +15.6%Alamance County: +6.7%Polk County: +4.9%Lenoir County: +0.5%Washington County: -3.0%Avery County: -0.0%Hyde County: +1.5%Gates County: -1.4%Davie County: +5.8%Jackson County: +7.4%Montgomery County: +2.5%Martin County: -2.0%Pasquotank County: +2.9%Perquimans County: +3.4%Cleveland County: +2.3%Sampson County: +2.3%Catawba County: +3.8%Alleghany County: +4.5%Robeson County: +2.3%Macon County: +4.4%Clay County: +8.0%Haywood County: +1.3%Duplin County: +3.8%Henderson County: +3.6%Craven County: +2.6%Warren County: +2.6%Graham County: +1.7%Union County: +9.9%Wayne County: +2.2%Gaston County: +5.9%Guilford County: +3.7%Yadkin County: +2.0%Watauga County: +1.0%Rowan County: +4.4%Swain County: -1.1%Chatham County: +9.4%Bertie County: -4.4%Halifax County: -2.9%Forsyth County: +4.1%Onslow County: +3.8%Dare County: +3.1%Chowan County: +1.3%Brunswick County: +20.9%Johnston County: +14.9%Orange County: +6.4%Currituck County: +13.6%New Hanover County: +7.5%Richmond County: -1.7%Vance County: -0.5%Iredell County: +9.9%Lincoln County: +12.0%Caldwell County: +0.2%McDowell County: +1.6%Rutherford County: +1.9%Mitchell County: +0.9%Moore County: +8.1%Columbus County: -0.8%Lee County: +8.1%Greene County: +1.1%Madison County: +5.0%Camden County: +7.5%Hertford County: -12.0%Beaufort County: -0.3%Jones County: +3.5%Wake County: +9.0%Nash County: +3.0%Surry County: +0.2%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +0.5%
  2. < +2.3%
  3. < +3.7%
  4. < +7.4%
  5. ≥ +7.4%
no data

Orange pin: Cleveland County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
35.334600, -81.557100
DMS
35°20'4.56"N 81°33'25.56"W
UTM
17N 449371.2E 3910292.3N
Geohash
dnq1007yv
Plus code
867W8CMV+R5

Towns in Cleveland County

3 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Cleveland County, 38,149 people together, or 37% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Cleveland County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Shelby with 22,778.

  1. 01Shelby22,778
  2. 02Kings Mountain (part)10,612
  3. 03Boiling Springs4,759
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Cleveland County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Cleveland County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is York County, SC, with 303,001 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 166.9 miles ENE of Cleveland County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Charlotte, NC (population 943,476), 41.9 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Shelby, NC (population 22,778), 3.1 miles away.

Cleveland County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Cleveland County is 37045: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 045. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $61,411.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Cleveland County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 102,194. That is up 2,249 people (2.3%) from the July 2020 estimate of 99,945.

What is the FIPS code of Cleveland County?

37045. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (045) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Cleveland County?

Shelby, with 22,778 residents inside Cleveland County in 2024.

Which counties border Cleveland County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: York County, SC; Gaston County, NC; Lincoln County, NC; Burke County, NC; Rutherford County, NC; Cherokee County, SC.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.