Cleveland County Demographics

A map of Cleveland County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	71,321	70,163	70.6%	70.5%
Black	18,030	20,034	17.9%	20.1%
Multiracial	5,385	3,857	5.3%	3.9%
Hispanic	4,792	4,039	4.7%	4.1%
Asian	953	854	0.9%	0.9%
Native American/Other	510	572	0.5%	0.6%

Cleveland County, North Carolina has an estimated population of 100,991, a slight increase from the 99,519 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 70.6% White, 17.9% Black, 5.3% Multiracial, 4.7% Hispanic, 0.9% Asian, and 0.5% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Cleveland County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Cleveland has become slightly more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than North Carolina overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Cleveland County, that probability was 45.9% in 2020 and 46.4% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Cleveland County is ranked the 29th most populous county in North Carolina, out of 100 counties. Cleveland County was ranked the 29th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Cleveland County's White Population

71,321 residents of Cleveland County, or 70.6% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Cleveland County is considerably higher than in North Carolina overall, where 60% of the population is White. Cleveland County ranks 44th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cleveland County's White population has grown by an estimated 1.7%. White residents' share of Cleveland County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 70.6%.

Cleveland County is more White than neighboring Cherokee County (69.7% White), and Gaston County (66.4% White). Cleveland County is less White than neighboring Lincoln County (82% White), Rutherford County (80.8% White), and Burke County (79.1% White).

Cleveland County's Black Population

18,030 residents of Cleveland County, or 17.9% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Cleveland County is slightly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 20% of the population is Black. Cleveland County ranks 42nd statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cleveland County's Black population has declined by an estimated 10.0%. Black residents' share of Cleveland County's population has decreased from 20.1% to 17.9%.

Cleveland County is more Black than neighboring Lincoln County (5.9% Black), Rutherford County (7.7% Black), Gaston County (17.1% Black), and Burke County (6.1% Black). Cleveland County is less Black than neighboring Cherokee County (18.7% Black).

Cleveland County's Asian Population

953 residents of Cleveland County, or 0.9% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Cleveland County is slightly lower than in North Carolina overall, where 3.3% of the population is Asian. Cleveland County ranks 45th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cleveland County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 11.6%. Asian residents' share of Cleveland County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.9%.

Cleveland County is more Asian than neighboring Cherokee County (0.5% Asian), Lincoln County (0.8% Asian), and Rutherford County (0.5% Asian). Cleveland County is less Asian than neighboring Gaston County (1.6% Asian), and Burke County (3.5% Asian).

Cleveland County's Hispanic Population

4,792 residents of Cleveland County, or 4.7% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Cleveland County is lower than in North Carolina overall, where 11.3% of the population is Hispanic. Cleveland County ranks 83rd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cleveland County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 18.6%. Hispanic residents' share of Cleveland County's population has increased from 4.1% to 4.7%.

Cleveland County is less Hispanic than neighboring Cherokee County (5.5% Hispanic), Lincoln County (8.1% Hispanic), Rutherford County (5.7% Hispanic), Gaston County (9.9% Hispanic), and Burke County (8.5% Hispanic).

Cleveland County's Native American/Other Population

510 residents of Cleveland County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Cleveland County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 1.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Cleveland County ranks 76th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cleveland County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 10.8%. Native American/Other residents' share of Cleveland County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Cleveland County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Lincoln County (0.4% Native American/Other), and Burke County (0.3% Native American/Other). Cleveland County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Cherokee County (1.6% Native American/Other), Rutherford County (0.9% Native American/Other), and Gaston County (0.8% Native American/Other).

Cleveland County's Multiracial Population

5,385 residents of Cleveland County, or 5.3% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Cleveland County is comparable to the share in North Carolina overall, where 4.1% of the population is Multiracial. Cleveland County ranks 31st statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 100 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cleveland County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 39.6%. Multiracial residents' share of Cleveland County's population has increased from 3.9% to 5.3%.

Cleveland County is more Multiracial than neighboring Cherokee County (4% Multiracial), Lincoln County (2.9% Multiracial), Rutherford County (4.4% Multiracial), Gaston County (4.2% Multiracial), and Burke County (2.5% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.