HomeNorth CarolinaCleveland County
Cleveland County, North Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Cleveland County, North Carolina has a population of 100,991 across 464 square miles, up 2.7 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $6.03 bn in 2024, 2,028 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 47 7(a) approvals worth $35.7 m.
128 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Cleveland County
How many people live in Cleveland County
- Population100,991
- Households38,850
- Average household size2.60
- Median household income$58,534
- Median age41.3
- Median gross rent$914 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$200,000
- Home value to household income3.4 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher21.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree8.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over69,701
- Population under 1822,528
- Share under 1822.3 percent
- Population 65 and over18,996
- Share 65 and over18.8 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6459,467
- Civilian labor force47,468
- Unemployment rate5.2 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over60.5 percent
- Rank by population among North Carolina counties29th of 100
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents614th
Cleveland County is the 29th largest of 100 North Carolina counties by population. A median home costs 3.4 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 22.3 percent against 18.8 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Cleveland County
Is Cleveland County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.68 percent
- Census 2020 base population99,527
- Births, 20241,104
- Deaths, 20241,468
- Natural change, 2024-364
- Net domestic migration, 2024908
- Net international migration, 202496
- Total net migration, 20241,004
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20243,636
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents956th
The county has grown 2.68 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Cleveland County
Where people moving to Cleveland County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving2,466
- People arriving, from those returns4,710
- Adjusted gross income arriving$118.0 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$47,862
- Largest single originCleveland County Non-migrants (35,040 households)
- Largest single destination (35,040 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland County Non-migrants | 35,040 | 71,956 | $2.08 bn |
| Gaston County | 674 | 1,395 | $28.5 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 632 | 1,186 | $36.1 m |
| Other flows - South | 327 | 613 | $17.6 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 253 | 440 | $12.3 m |
| Mecklenburg County | 237 | 422 | $12.0 m |
| Rutherford County | 172 | 315 | $7.6 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 114 | 211 | $7.3 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Cleveland County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Cleveland County
What the Cleveland County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$6.03 bn
- County GDP, 2023$5.82 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20243.5 percent
- GDP change over five years37.2 percent
- Rank by GDP among North Carolina counties26th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents648th
- GDP per resident$59,662
Output grew 3.5 percent in the latest year and 37.2 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Cleveland County
Who employs people in Cleveland County
- Covered employment, annual average36,696
- Establishments reporting2,287
- Average annual pay$53,753
- Average weekly wage$1,034
- Sector 31-33, employment7,075
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$68,441
- Sector 44-45, employment4,208
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$35,806
- Sector 62, employment3,317
- Sector 62, average annual pay$45,149
- Sector 72, employment2,863
- Sector 72, average annual pay$19,894
- Sector 23, employment2,388
- Sector 48-49, employment2,180
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 7,075 | 128 | $68,441 |
| Sector 44-45 | 4,208 | 376 | $35,806 |
| Sector 62 | 3,317 | 238 | $45,149 |
| Sector 72 | 2,863 | 190 | $19,894 |
| Sector 23 | 2,388 | 235 | $68,515 |
| Sector 48-49 | 2,180 | 74 | $49,479 |
| Sector 56 | 1,810 | 155 | $40,557 |
| Sector 61 | 1,021 | 20 | $38,264 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 7,075 jobs, 19.3 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Cleveland County
What businesses operate in Cleveland County
- Establishments, all industries2,028
- Employment at those establishments30,800
- Annual payroll$1.44 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents20.1
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Cleveland County
What is being built in Cleveland County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024513
- Declared construction value permitted$119.2 m
- Single family units authorised403
- Multifamily units authorised110
- Multifamily share of units21.4 percent
- Average declared value per unit$232,427
- Units authorised per 1,000 households13.2
Multifamily is 21.4 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Cleveland County
How much SBA lending happens in Cleveland County
- 7(a) approvals recorded47
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$35.7 m
- Average 7(a) approval$759,228
- Median 7(a) approval$440,000
- 10th percentile approval$20,000
- 90th percentile approval$2,172,000
- Largest single approval$3,014,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)540
- Jobs per approval11.5
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active25
- Distinct industries receiving approvals33
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer29.8 percent
- Loans on real estate terms14
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter28
- Franchise loans7
- Franchise share of approvals14.9 percent
- Leading industry by approval countBroilers and Other Meat Type Chicken Production (5)
- Most active lenderLive Oak Banking Company (5)
- 504 approvals recorded5
- 504 gross approval dollars$3.0 m
- Average 504 approval$591,000
- Median 504 approval$575,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval10.2
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved17.3
- Most active CDCCarolina Business Capital, Inc. (4)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals90.4 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$38.6 m
The average approval of $759,228 sits well above the median of $440,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 29.8 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Cleveland County
Do SBA loans in Cleveland County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded13
- Paid in full11
- Charged off2
- Charge off rate on resolved loans15.4 percent
- Status: Exempt from disclosure23
- Status: Paid in full11
- Status: Charged off2
- Status: Cancelled8
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed3
Of the 13 loans that have reached a final outcome, 15.4 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Cleveland County
Which parts of Cleveland County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending6
- SHELBY, approvals31
- Kings Mountain, approvals10
- GROVER, approvals3
- HUNTERSVILLE, approvals1
- LAWNDALE, approvals1
- MOORESBORO, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| SHELBY | 31 | $18,023,100 |
| Kings Mountain | 10 | $4,077,600 |
| GROVER | 3 | $7,378,000 |
| HUNTERSVILLE | 1 | $2,440,000 |
| LAWNDALE | 1 | $2,172,000 |
| MOORESBORO | 1 | $1,593,000 |
SHELBY accounts for 31 approvals against 10 in Kings Mountain. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Cleveland County
How big is Cleveland County
- Land area464 sq mi
- Rank by land area among North Carolina counties50th of 100
- Width, east to west25.2 mi
- Height, north to south28.8 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land218
- Establishments per square mile4.37
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Cleveland County
What hazards affect Cleveland County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book13
- Of those, participating in the NFIP12
- NFIP participation rate92.3 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
The EPA places the county in radon zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L.
US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001. FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Community Status Book, Community Status Book, as retrieved.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Cleveland County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Cleveland County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population100,991
- Households38,850
- Average household size2.60
- Median household income$58,534
- Median age41.3
Common questions
Cleveland County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Cleveland County, North Carolina?
100,991, in 38,850 households, ranking 29th of 100 North Carolina counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Cleveland County growing?
The population has grown 2.68 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 1,104 births against 1,468 deaths, with net migration of 1,004. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Cleveland County?
$58,534. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $200,000, which is 3.4 times income, and median gross rent is $914 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Cleveland County?
2,028 establishments, employing 30,800 people with an annual payroll of $1.44 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Cleveland County?
Average annual pay is $53,753, or $1,034 a week, across 36,696 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Cleveland County?
47 7(a) approvals totalling $35.7 m since FY2020, across 25 lenders, with a median approval of $440,000, plus 5 504 approvals worth $3.0 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Cleveland County get paid back?
Of the 13 loans that have reached a final outcome, 11 were paid in full and 2 charged off, a charge off rate of 15.4 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Cleveland County?
513 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $119.2 m. Multifamily was 21.4 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Cleveland County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Cleveland County come from?
The largest single origin is Cleveland County Non-migrants, with 35,040 households. Arriving households report an average income of $47,862 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Cleveland County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Cleveland County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.