Cleveland County, North Carolina
County seat: Shelby · Population 103,325 (2025) · 464 sq mi
Cleveland County is the 29th most populous of North Carolina's 100 counties, with 103,325 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Shelby. It is part of the Southwest Region region, one of the 8 Prosperity Zones of North Carolina. The map shows its 15 cities and towns and the 6 neighboring counties.
Cleveland County facts
- County seat
- Shelby
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 103,325 +3.8% since 2020
- Land area
- 464 sq mi 50th largest of 100
- Water area
- 4 sq mi
- Population density
- 223 per sq mi
- Established
- 1841
- Same name
- One of 3 Cleveland Counties in the US
- Named after
- Benjamin Cleveland Colonel in Revolutionary militia
- Largest city
- Shelby 23,309
- Median household income
- $58,534
- Cities and towns
- 15 plus 1 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 15
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 37045
Cities and towns in Cleveland County
Cleveland County has 15 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Cleveland County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby (county seat) | City | 23,309 | |
| Kings Mountain | City | 10,921 | Gaston County |
| Boiling Springs | Town | 4,799 | |
| Belwood | Town | 876 | |
| Grover | Town | 810 | |
| Kingstown | Town | 668 | |
| Fallston | Town | 635 | |
| Patterson Springs | Town | 590 | |
| Lawndale | Town | 578 | |
| Polkville | City | 516 | |
| Lattimore | Town | 468 | |
| Waco | Town | 316 | |
| Casar | Town | 309 | |
| Mooresboro | Town | 297 | |
| Earl | Town | 211 |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| Light Oak | 277 |
ZIP codes in Cleveland County
15 ZIP codes reach into Cleveland County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 28017
- 28020 also Rutherford County
- 28021 also Gaston and Lincoln counties
- 28040 also Rutherford County
- 28042
- 28073
- 28086 also Gaston County
- 28089
- 28090 also Lincoln, Burke and Catawba counties
- 28114 also Rutherford County
- 28136
- 28150 also Rutherford County
- 28152
- 28168 also Lincoln, Catawba and Burke counties
- 28169
Population of Cleveland County, 2020–2025
Cleveland County grew by 3,814 people (+3.8%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 1,734 more deaths than births and a net gain of 5,592 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 99,926 |
| 2021 | 100,478 |
| 2022 | 100,773 |
| 2023 | 101,606 |
| 2024 | 102,506 |
| 2025 | 103,325 |
Neighboring counties
- Rutherford County west · 65,745 people
- Cherokee County, South Carolina south · 58,275 people
- Gaston County east · 246,558 people
- Burke County north · 88,655 people
- Lincoln County northeast · 98,654 people
- York County, South Carolina southeast · 306,887 people
Printable Cleveland County map
The PDF is a vector file with real text: it prints sharp on Letter paper and you can search it for a town. The PNG is 2400 pixels wide for slides and documents. Both are free to use with a credit to WhichCounty.
- PDF (Letter) (125 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (100 KB)
Paste this code to embed the map on your site:
Sources
- Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary Files (1:500,000).
- Population: Census Bureau county and city estimates, Vintage 2025. CDP populations: American Community Survey 2020–2024.
- Places and ZIP codes: Census Bureau 2026 Gazetteer and 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Area relationship files.
- County seat, founding year and name origin: Wikidata (CC0), checked against state sources.
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