Cleveland, TN

Metro Area Profile

128,963 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Cleveland, TN metropolitan area.

56out of 100
Area Score
Bottom 46% of 834 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 12 sources
Opportunity513th of 835 metro and micro areas measured45
Schools434th of 695 metro and micro areas measured41
GrowthTop 34% of 834 metro and micro areas measured59
Housing affordabilityTop 43% of 835 metro and micro areas measured75
ClimateTop 29% of 835 metro and micro areas measured73
Physical resilienceTop 49% of 835 metro and micro areas measured55
Access674th of 835 metro and micro areas measured59
Economic stability452nd of 835 metro and micro areas measured48
The quick read

Unemployment is 3.9% and median household income $66,135, putting employment conditions in the middle range of metro and micro areas measured.

Residential permitting has slowed: 855 units authorized over the past twelve months, 19% below the prior year.

Rent takes 28% of renter income here, below the 30% threshold conventionally called cost-burdened, and the median home is 3.1 times what its owners earn.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
128,963
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$66,135
Bottom 48% nationally
Density
169/sq mi
763.4 sq mi of land
Median age
40.5
2024 ACS 5-Year
Area type
Metropolitan area
Tennessee
Nearest major airport
TYS
60 mi · Mc Ghee Tyson
Median home value
$247,000
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 3.9%, lower than in 59% of the 835 measured US metro and micro areas.

Employment fell 1.2% over the past year, to 54,333 employed residents.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Median household income ±$1,4262024 ACS 5-Year$66,135Bottom 48%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$9752024 ACS 5-Year$33,852Bottom 38%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year12.5%Top 47%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±0.7 min2024 ACS 5-Year25.9 minBottom 31%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year23.3%Bottom 43%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year79.1%66th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202654,333Top 42%of 835July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026−2.1%Bottom 25%of 835July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026−1.2%Bottom 38%of 835July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202656,53358th percentileof 835July 2026
Labor force participation ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year75.1%Bottom 40%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage2025 OEWS$50,670Bottom 5%of 3922025 OEWS
Median annual wage2025 OEWS$40,230Bottom 6%of 3922025 OEWS
Metro employment2025 OEWS43,01010th percentileof 3922025 OEWS
Public transit to work ±0.0%2024 ACS 5-Year0.0%11th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026−0.4%Top 38%of 835July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20263.9%Top 41%of 835July 2026
Worked from home ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year9.0%52nd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/074.83.0
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 3.9% in July 2026. It has been falling, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

Largest occupations — Cleveland, TN

OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand1,900$38,460
Fast Food and Counter Workers1,830$26,140
Retail Salespersons1,230$32,160
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators1,100$44,110
Cashiers1,000$27,140
Stockers and Order Fillers990$32,870

Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

35% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 37% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

Public schools
32
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
—
Math proficiency
35.1%
Bottom 39% in Tennessee
Reading proficiency
36.9%
Bottom 43% in Tennessee
The 12 largest of 32 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Cleveland HighCleveland1,755—13%47%
Bradley Central High SchoolBradley County1,649—19%35%
Walker Valley High SchoolBradley County1,450—38%48%
Cleveland MiddleCleveland1,291—35%33%
Lake Forest Middle SchoolBradley County1,173—36%29%
Ocoee Middle SchoolBradley County1,096—36%33%
Blythe-Bower ElementaryCleveland710—23%19%
Waterville Community Elementary SchoolBradley County677—39%31%
Black Fox Elementary SchoolBradley County493—49%41%
North Lee Elementary SchoolBradley County485—61%59%
Candy's Creek Cherokee ElementaryCleveland481———
Hopewell Elementary SchoolBradley County457—46%40%

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Tennessee’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Prices for everything a household buys run about 10% below the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 90.4, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for this area is up 55% over five years, and up 5.3% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $1,123 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.45% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,233, some 23% above the $1,006 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,233 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $49,300 a year, about 75% of the median household income here of $66,135.

The typical renter household here spends 28% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,006 a month.

A median home at $247,000 costs 3.1 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $79,886, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.

Cost of living
90.4

Prices here run about 10% below the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.

Price level for all consumption in this metropolitan area against a national average of 100. Housing dominates the spread between places; goods vary far less.

Rent as a share of income
28.4%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.1×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$1,233
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$1,006
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$247,000
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Cleveland’s median household income of $66,135, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Cost of living index202390.4Top 29%of 3862023
Home price change (1 year)2026 Q2+5.3%78th percentileof 3722026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)2026 Q2+55.1%86th percentileof 3722026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)2026 Q2+117.5%84th percentileof 3722026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.12024 ACS 5-Year3.1Bottom 31%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year69.7%49th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±702024 ACS 5-Year55,01363rd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$940Bottom 43%of 818FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,584Bottom 38%of 818FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$1,233Bottom 35%of 818FY2026
Median gross rent ±$302024 ACS 5-Year$1,006Bottom 45%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$6,4952024 ACS 5-Year$247,00063rd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$382024 ACS 5-Year$1,12318th percentileof 9332024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$2,4522024 ACS 5-Year$79,886Bottom 46%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.02%2024 ACS 5-Year0.45%10th percentileof 9322024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year28.4%Top 41%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±2212024 ACS 5-Year74543rd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year1.4%37th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year7.7%50th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±5652024 ACS 5-Year4,99352nd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.

Development Momentum

59/ 100
Top 34% of 834 published metro profiles
The most recent move in permitting was downward, in a series running from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 5% since 2020, reaching 132,120 in 2024.

New construction is predominantly single-family: of 855 units permitted over the past twelve months, only 3% are in buildings of five or more homes.

At 6.6 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metro and micro areas.

Units permitted
855
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
6.6
Top 15% nationally
Year over year
−19%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
2.9%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

20202021202220232024132k126k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been rising for the last 4 years, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

Weather & climate

6 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 91°F and January a low of 32°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 55.0 inches, including 3.6 inches of snow.

20°40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station CHATTANOOGA LOVELL AP, 31.8 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND5.3"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals55.0"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals3.6"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals32°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals91°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals61991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals39°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

55 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, earthquake and tornado, with inland flooding alone responsible for 41% of it. Inland flooding is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.

EarthquakeElevated
LandslideModerate
TornadoModerate
LightningModerate
Winter weatherModerate

Low or minimal exposure: cold wave, inland flooding, strong wind, hail, ice storm, hurricane, drought, wildfire, heat wave, avalanche, coastal flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Reported crime
Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. City profiles inside this area carry their own figure where their department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
Death-certificate rates
The CDC publishes these rates by county, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it do.
Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index by county, and only where a monitor sits, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it show it where one exists.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

1 major airport lies within 100 miles, the nearest Mc Ghee Tyson at 60 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year89.3%Top 42%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle60 miBottom 27%of 835NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle1Bottom 4%of 835NASR current cycle
No internet access ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year8.7%Bottom 47%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Mc Ghee TysonTYS60 mi10,000 ft
Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta IntlATL105 mi12,390 ft
SmyrnaMQY121 mi8,038 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

Customize your score

What matters to you?

Choose what you weight most heavily. Nothing is saved to an account — your preferences stay in this browser, and the Area Score never changes.

Area Score
56
Your Score
—

Select one or more priorities to see how this location scores against them.

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
HousingU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional price parities and county personal income
2023
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWS
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.

Cities in this metro