The Town Files

Cleveland County, North Carolina

100,991 people. The median home is worth $200,000 (typical North Carolina town: $228,900) and the median household earns $58,534.

Towns in Cleveland County

Towns in Cleveland County

TownPeopleMedian homeIncomeMedian age
Shelby21,918$197,200$48,37639.3
Kings Mountain11,142$204,100$49,56437.2
Boiling Springs4,615$265,400$89,87522.4

People and housing

Cleveland CountyTypical North Carolina town
Median home value$200,000$228,900
Median rent$914$969
Median household income$58,534$60,458
Median age41.341.1
Bachelor's degree or higher22.0%24.5%
Below the poverty line16.6%14.3%

Jobs and pay

36,696 jobs in 2024, average pay $53,753 a year.

Largest industries in Cleveland CountyManufacturing7,075 jobs · $68,441Retail4,208 jobs · $35,806Health care & social assistan…3,317 jobs · $45,149Hotels & restaurants2,863 jobs · $19,894Construction2,388 jobs · $68,515Transportation & warehousing2,180 jobs · $49,479
BLS QCEW 2024.
Unemployment rate in Cleveland County0%4%8%12%16%2000200420082012201620202023 3.5%
BLS LAUS via USDA ERS, annual averages.

Storms since 1996

NOAA recorded 613 storm events in Cleveland County from 1996 to 2026, with 2 deaths.

Storm events in Cleveland County by type since 1996Hail142Flood7Drought37Tornado20High Wind15Lightning25Heavy Snow17Flash Flood14Winter Storm12Winter Weather42
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

Federal disaster declarations

Cleveland County has been included in 20 FEMA declarations since 1953.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
January 24, 2026Winter StormEM-3637: Severe Winter Storm
September 28, 2024Tropical StormDR-4827: Tropical Storm Helene
September 26, 2024Tropical StormEM-3617: Hurricane Helene
October 1, 2022HurricaneEM-3586: Hurricane Ian
August 2, 2020HurricaneEM-3534: Hurricane Isaias
May 8, 2020Severe StormDR-4543: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024; BLS QCEW and LAUS; NOAA Storm Events; FEMA OpenFEMA (not endorsed by FEMA).