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Thedemographics of Cleveland have fluctuated throughout thecity's history. From its founding in 1796,Cleveland's population grew to 261,353 by 1890, and to 796,841 by 1920, making it thefifth largest city in theUnited States at the time. By 1930, the population rose to 900,429 and, afterWorld War II, it reached 914,808.[1] Due to various historical factors includingdeindustrialization,suburbanization, andurban sprawl, Cleveland's population began decreasing in the 1960s. By 1970, the city's population was 750,903. By 1980, it was 573,822 and it had lost its position as one of the top 10 largest cities in the U.S.[1] By 2020, the population had further fallen to 372,624.[2] Beginning in 2018, the city's population began to flatten, after decades of decline.[3] Additionally, between 2010 and 2020, severalneighborhoods within Cleveland saw a significant population increase, most notablyDowntown,[4] but alsoUniversity Circle and several West Side neighborhoods.[5]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 606 | — |
| 1830 | 1,075 | +77.4% |
| 1840 | 6,071 | +464.7% |
| 1850 | 17,034 | +180.6% |
| 1860 | 43,417 | +154.9% |
| 1870 | 92,829 | +113.8% |
| 1880 | 160,146 | +72.5% |
| 1890 | 261,353 | +63.2% |
| 1900 | 381,768 | +46.1% |
| 1910 | 560,663 | +46.9% |
| 1920 | 796,841 | +42.1% |
| 1930 | 900,429 | +13.0% |
| 1940 | 878,336 | −2.5% |
| 1950 | 914,808 | +4.2% |
| 1960 | 876,050 | −4.2% |
| 1970 | 750,903 | −14.3% |
| 1980 | 573,822 | −23.6% |
| 1990 | 505,616 | −11.9% |
| 2000 | 478,403 | −5.4% |
| 2010 | 396,815 | −17.1% |
| 2020 | 372,624 | −6.1% |
| * = Population estimate. Source:United States Census records andPopulation Estimates Program data.[1][6][2] | ||
As of the2020 Census, there were 372,624 people and 170,549 households residing in the city of Cleveland (a population roughly comparable to that ofZurich). The population density was 4,901.51/sq mi (1,892.5/km2).[2] During the day, incoming commuters from other parts ofCuyahoga County andMetropolitan Cleveland increase the city's population by 30%.[7]
The median income for a household in the city was $30,907. The per capita income for the city was $21,223. 32.7% of the population living below the poverty line. Of the city's population over the age of 25, 17.5% held a bachelor's degree or higher, and 80.8% had a high school diploma or equivalent.[2]
According to the 2010 census, 29.7% of Cleveland households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 22.4% were married couples living together, 25.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 46.4% were non-families. 39.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 3.11.[6]
In 2010, the median age in the city was 35.7 years. 24.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 11% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.1% were from 25 to 44; 26.3% were from 45 to 64; and 12% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.0% male and 52.0% female.[6]
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[8] | Pop 1990[9] | Pop 2000[10] | Pop 2010[11] | Pop 2020[12] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 301,748 | 241,552 | 185,641 | 132,710 | 119,547 | 52.59% | 47.77% | 38.80% | 33.44% | 32.08% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 249,209 | 234,050 | 241,512 | 208,208 | 176,813 | 43.43% | 46.29% | 50.48% | 52.47% | 47.45% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 1,158 | 1,396 | 1,195 | 997 | 844 | 0.20% | 0.28% | 0.25% | 0.25% | 0.23% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 3,119 | 4,948 | 6,284 | 7,213 | 10,390 | 0.54% | 0.98% | 1.31% | 1.82% | 2.79% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[13] | x[14] | 123 | 70 | 100 | x | x | 0.03% | 0.02% | 0.03% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 692 | 473 | 827 | 599 | 1,970 | 0.12% | 0.09% | 0.17% | 0.15% | 0.53% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[15] | x[16] | 8,093 | 7,484 | 14,261 | x | x | 1.69% | 1.89% | 3.83% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 17,896 | 23,197 | 34,728 | 39,534 | 48,699 | 3.12% | 4.59% | 7.26% | 9.96% | 13.07% |
| Total | 573,822 | 505,616 | 478,403 | 396,815 | 372,624 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
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According to the 2020 census, the racial composition of the city was 32.1%non-Hispanic white, 47.5%African American (non-Hispanic), 2.8%Asian andPacific Islander, 0.2%Native American, and 3.8% fromtwo or more races.Hispanics or Latinos were 13.1% of the population.[5] 14.7% spoke a language other thanEnglish at home, includingSpanish,Arabic,Chinese,Albanian, and variousSlavic languages (Russian,Polish,Serbo-Croatian, andSlovene).[2] There is no ethnic or racial majority in Cleveland. A 2020 analysis found the city to be the most ethnically and racially diverse in Ohio.[17]
Within Cleveland, the non-Hispanic white and Hispanic (of any race) populations are largely concentrated on the city's West Side, while the Black American population is largely concentrated on the East Side and the Asian population is mostly concentrated in the historicalAsiatown neighborhood.[18] The East–West racial divide is a legacy ofredlining andblockbusting on Cleveland's East Side,[19] and before the 1950s, such a division did not exist, as the poetLangston Hughes observed.[20] However, the division is not absolute; there is a significant African American minority on the West Side, and the East Side neighborhood of University Circle is majority non-Hispanic white, with significant African American and Asian minorities.[21] The city's Downtown is majority non-Hispanic white, with African American, Asian, and Hispanic minorities.[22]
The demographic distribution has largely remained stable since the 1970s, although there have been significant shifts in the composition of certain neighborhoods, notablyCollinwood andBroadway–Slavic Village.[23] Cleveland's African American population increased from 235,405 (46.6%) in 1990 to 246,242 (51.0%) in 2000. However, due to increasedAfrican American migration to nearby East Side suburbs, the percentage of non-Hispanic African Americans in the city fell to 47.5% by 2020. Between 2010 and 2020, the decrease of the non-Hispanic white population slowed, while the Asian and especially Hispanic populations saw considerable growth.[5]
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Cleveland saw a massive influx ofimmigrants fromIreland,Italy, and theAustro-Hungarian,German,Russian, andOttomanempires, most of whom were attracted by manufacturing jobs.[24] In 1920, the city proper boasted a foreign-born population of 30% and, in 1870, that percentage was 42%.[25] As a result of the U.S. immigration restrictions of1921 and1924 and the decline of industry, Cleveland's foreign-born population decreased over time and was 4.1% by 1990.[25] In the late 2010s, the immigrant population of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County began to see significant growth.[26] By 2020, the foreign-born population of Cleveland had increased to 6%, while the foreign-born population of Cuyahoga County was 7.6%.[2][27] A 2019 study found Cleveland to be the city with the shortest average processing time in the nation for immigrants to becomeU.S. citizens.[28]
In Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, most of the foreign-born are fromEurope, theMiddle East,East Asia,Latin America, andSouth Asia, with smaller numbers fromAfrica. Within Cleveland, the neighborhoods with the highest foreign-born populations are Asiatown/Goodrich–Kirtland Park (32.7%),Clark–Fulton (26.7%),West Boulevard (18.5%), Brooklyn Centre (17.3%), Downtown (17.2%), University Circle (15.9%, with 20% inLittle Italy), andJefferson (14.3%).[29] Within Cuyahoga County, many Cleveland suburbs also boast high foreign-born populations, especially East Side suburbs such asBeachwood (17.11%),Mayfield Heights (16.36%), andSolon (15.56%) with their large communities of Russian-speaking immigrants from thepost-Soviet states.[30][31][32] On the West Side, thestreetcar suburb ofLakewood also has a significant foreign-born population and has been recognized locally as a hotspot for immigrants.[33]
The non-Hispanic white population is mostly concentrated on Cleveland's West Side, Downtown, and University Circle, and comprises 32.1% according to the 2020 census.[5] This category, asdefined by the U.S. Census Bureau, encompasses Cleveland's many ethnic European and Middle Eastern communities. Among them areIrish (especially inKamm's Corners and other areas ofWest Park),Italians (especially in Little Italy and aroundMayfield Road),Germans, and severalCentral-Eastern European ethnicities, includingCzechs,Hungarians,Lithuanians,Poles,Romanians,Russians,Rusyns,Slovaks,Ukrainians, and ex-Yugoslav groups, such asSlovenes,Croats, andSerbs.[24] The presence ofHungarians within Cleveland proper was, at one time, so great that the city boasted the highest concentration of Hungarians in the world outside ofBudapest.[34] Cleveland also has a long-establishedJewish community,[35] as well as significant communities ofAlbanians,[36]Arabs (especiallyLebanese,Syrians, andPalestinians),[37]Armenians,[38]French,[39]Greeks,[40]Iranians,[41]Scots,[24] andTurks.[42] There was also a strong and largeSpanish community between the two World Wars,[43] until they integrated (like Irish, Germans or French did).
According to the 2020 census, non-Hispanic African Americans comprise 47.5% of Cleveland's population.[5] Black American communities have a long history in the city and grew significantly from 1910 to 1970 as a result of theFirst andSecond Great Migrations.[44] Most of theAfrican American neighborhoods are on the East Side of Cleveland, but there are also significant communities on the West Side, particularly in theBellaire–Puritas andCudell neighborhoods.[45][46] Cleveland also has small African (especiallyEthiopian andCongolese) andWest Indian immigrant populations.[47]
According to the 2020 census, the city's Hispanic and Latino communities form 13.1% of the population and have seen dramatic growth in recent decades.[5] According to the Cleveland City Planning Commission, "more than 1 out of 8 Clevelanders [were] Hispanic or Latino in 2020."[5] The vast majority of Hispanics in Cleveland are ofPuerto Rican descent, but there are also smaller numbers of immigrants fromMexico,Cuba, theDominican Republic,South andCentral America, andSpain.[48] TheClark–Fulton neighborhood on the West Side has the highest concentration of Hispanics in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County.[49] The adjacent West Side neighborhoods ofBrooklyn Centre,Stockyards,West Boulevard, andDetroit–Shoreway also have significant Hispanic populations.[50][51][52][53]
Cleveland's Asian and Pacific Islander communities comprise 2.8% of the city's population and have also been growing, according to the 2020 census.[5] Most are centered on historical Asiatown and includeChinese,Koreans,Vietnamese, and other groups.[18]
TheRoma began settling on Cleveland's near west side in the 1880s, and within 40 years there were at least 1,000 Roma living in the Ohio City neighborhood. Cleveland's Romani population dwindled down to a few hundred by the 1970s. Some Roma moved to nearby West Side suburbs, while hundreds more chose to move to larger cities, such as New York City or Chicago.[54]
The United States census figures put the Native American population of Greater Cleveland at 1,603 in the year 1980. In the 1990 U.S. census, the Native American population had increased to 2,706.[55]
