Economic Intelligence | Any Geography

Cleveland County, NC

Welcome to Cleveland County.

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Cleveland County has a population of 99.5 thousand and a total area (land and water combined) of 468.2 square miles.

Total GDP for the county increased 28%, in the five years ending in 2022, to reach $5.3 billion.

Between 2000 and 2024 presidential elections, Cleveland County voted for Republican candidates six out of six times and never voted for a Democratic candidate.

Cleveland County comprises Shelby, NC micropolitan area.

The largest city in the county is Shelby.

Surrounding counties and county equivalents include: Burke County, Gaston County, Lincoln County, Rutherford County, Cherokee County, and York County.

Presidential Election

🔵 Democrat    🔴 Republican

Election Year
Candidates (Party)*
Votes (% Total)Landslide
Scale**
🔵🔴
2000
🔴George W. Bush
🔵Al Gore
41.09%58.22%+
2004
🔴George W. Bush
🔵John Kerry
38.34%61.36%++
2008
🔵Barack Obama
🔴John McCain
39.61%59.49%+
2012
🔵Barack Obama
🔴Mitt Romney
39.37%59.51%++
2016
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Hillary Clinton
33.5%63.75%++
2020
🔵Joe Biden
🔴Donald Trump
33.05%65.87%++
2024
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Kamala Harris
Notes:
*Presidential Tickets
2000 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D) Al Gore & Joe Lieberman
2004 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D)John Kerry & John Edwards
2008 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) John McCain & Sarah Palin
2012 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan
2016 (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence; (D) Hillary Clinton & Tim Kaine
2020 (D) Joe Biden & Kamala Harris; (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence
2024 (R) Donald Trump & JD Vance; (D) Kamala Harris & Tim Waltz
**Landslide Scale (county)
+ Victory margin was less than 20 percent
++ Victory margin was between 20 to 49 percentage points of more votes
+++ Victory margin was more than half but below three quarters
++++ Victory margin was three quarters or more

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Economic Significance

Key IndustryAs %
County GDP
GDP
Growth*
County GDP1100%28%
Government
Enterprises
9%16%
Private Industries91%30%
Agriculture1%117%
Mining<1%59%
Utilities11%114%
Construction4%23%
Manufacturing28%10%
– Durable16%8%
– Nondurable11%12%
Trade11%40%
– Wholesale5%34%
– Retail6%46%
Transportation4%23%
Information2%7%
Finance & Insurance3%13%
Real Estate10%15%
Professional &
Business Services
4%35%
Educational Services1%0%
Healthcare &
Social Services
7%33%
Arts, Recreation &
Entertainment
<1%178%
Accommodation &
Food Services
2%28%
Other Services22%26%
Notes:
*Growth rates are based on most recent five-year value available and are updated dynamically
1. All industry total.
2. Includes various repairs, maintenance, personal care, religious organizations, social and professional organizations etc.

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Local Vibrancy

Total*Vibrancy
Indicator
(1-100)**
🚙 Automobile Dealers2783
🪑 Furniture &
Home Furnishings
1464
📺 Electronics & Appliance965
🛒 Grocery Stores3882
🍾 Beer, Wine & Liquor Stores328
⚕️ Health & Personal Care3178
⛽ Gasoline Stations6589
👕 Clothing Stores1664
👠 Shoe Stores544
🧳 Luggage, Leather Goods & Jewelry437
🏸 Sporting Goods545
📚 Book Stores & News Dealers337
🏬 Department Stores3989
💐 Florists451
🎁 Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Shops330
🐕 Pet & Pet Supplies 441
🍺 Bars & Taverns325
🍽️ Full-service restaurants5979
🍔 Limited-service restaurants8180
🏠 Offices of Real Estate Agents & Brokers2367
🛏️ Traveler Accommodation1469
Notes:
* Total counts of establishments are places of business.
** Vibrancy score is based on comparisons of relevant establishments per square mile of land area among all counties and county equivalents in the United States; A score of 100 means the county is in the top one percentile.

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Wealth Indicators

Household Income by Distribution
As % County’s
Total Household Income
Average Household Income
Maximum Household Income
Top 5%123%$354,100 N/A
Top 20%50%$192,100 $181,800
Next highest 20%24%$94,700 $119,300
Middle 20%15%$56,900 $74,000
Second lowest 20%8%$30,300 $45,100
Bottom 20%3%$12,800 $21,100
Notes:
1. Households with aggregate income above 95% of all households in the county
% Total
Households
Average Household
Income*
Wages & Salaries55%$72,900
Self-Employment11%$46,100
Investment Income122%$40,700
Social Security55%$22,900
Supplemental Security8%$10,200
Public Assistance1%Below $10,000
Retirement27%$33,200
Notes:
* Calculation based on households claim to have specific source of income; Households may have more than one source of income
1Includes interest, dividends, and net rental income

Under
25*
Age 25
to 49*
Age 50
to 64*
Age 65
& Older*
Below
$25K
1%5%8%10%
$25K
– $49K
1%8%9%8%
$50K
– $99K
<1%7%12%10%
$100K
– $199K
<1%6%9%3%
$200K
& more
<1%1%3%1%
Notes:
* Age of heads of households

 

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Median Earnings by Worker Characteristics
Race/EthnicityMaleFemale
Non-Hispanic White$37,600 $38,600
African-American$23,400 Below $10,000
Hispanic
Asian
Level of Education MaleFemale
Below Highschool
Highschool & GED$42,800 $26,700
Some College to
Associate’s
$38,900 $38,200
College/Bachelor’s
Degree
$39,400 $68,600
Graduate Degree$84,400 $61,100
OccupationMaleFemale
White-Collar1$45,300 $60,300
STEM2$45,100
Gray-Collar3$43,800
Pink-Collar4$14,200
Sales5$21,900 Below $10,000
Blue-Collar6$33,800 $45,300
Notes:
1. Management, business, science, and arts occupations
2. Computer, engineering, and science occupations
3. Protective service occupations including firefighters and law enforcement
4. Personal care and service occupations
5. Sales and sales related
6.Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

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Climate Risks

Disaster CategoryNatural Hazard
Risk Rating
Annual Loss
Per Capita
Avalanche
Coastal Flooding
Cold Waves
Drought+
Earthquake+$
Hail++$
Heat Waves++$
Hurricane+$
Ice Storm++$
Landslide++
Lightning++$
Riverine Flooding+
Strong Wind++$
Tornado+$
Tsunami
Volcanic Activity
Wildfires+$
Winter Weather++
Notes:
Locations with insufficient data or not rated are left blank.
+: Very low to Relatively low risk ratings
++: Relatively moderate
+++: Relatively high
++++: Very high
$: Expected per capita annual loss from the natural disaster is below $100
$$: $100-499
$$$: $500-999
$$$$: $1,000 and more

 

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ZIP Codes in Cleveland County