Mexican Population in Cleveland County, NC by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Mexican population in Cleveland County, NC is reported at 3,178 residents, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Several cities in Cleveland County - including Shelby, Boiling Springs, Belwood, and others - contribute to the Mexican population, but the total county figure of 3,178 indicates additional presence beyond municipal borders. The sections below explores how Mexican residents are distributed in North Carolina and the U.S.

Top 5 cities with the largest Mexican population in Cleveland County

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  • 1
    Shelby
    Mexican population in Shelby is 604
    2.76% of Shelby population is Mexican
  • 2
    Boiling Springs
    Mexican population in Boiling Springs is 128
    2.77% of Boiling Springs population is Mexican
  • 3
    Belwood
    Mexican population in Belwood is 60
    6.47% of Belwood population is Mexican
  • 4
    Kings Mountain
    Mexican population in Kings Mountain is 58
    0.51% of Kings Mountain population is Mexican
  • 5
    Lawndale
    Mexican population in Lawndale is 22
    3.76% of Lawndale population is Mexican

Overview of Mexican population in Cleveland County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data shows Cleveland County contains 3,178 Mexican residents (3.2% of 100,170 total county population), ranking the jurisdiction at the 73rd percentile nationally among counties and 54th percentile within North Carolina for Mexican demographic concentrations across both absolute and proportional measures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS data indicate Cleveland County's Mexican population of 3.2% remains below North Carolina's state average of 5.5% and the national average of 11.3%, placing the county below demographic benchmarks across multiple geographic scales.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates Cleveland County contains 3,178 Mexican residents, representing less than 1% of North Carolina's total Mexican population of 586,611.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data documents Cleveland County contains 6.8 Mexican Americans per square mile, below North Carolina's average of 12.1 per square mile, while maintaining moderate community presence relative to state demographic concentration standards.
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10 Cities in Cleveland County Ranked by Mexican Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] show Mexican populations distributed across multiple cities in the county, led by Shelby, Boiling Springs, Belwood, and Kings Mountain. The table below provides additional context, including total population, population density, and demographic distributions, based on current ACS data for 10 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Cleveland County, NC ranked by Mexican population count
Rank by Mexican Population
City
Mexican Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Cleveland County Mexican Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Shelby 604 2.76% 19.01%
2 Boiling Springs 128 2.77% 4.03%
3 Belwood 60 6.47% 1.89%
4 Kings Mountain 58 0.51% 1.83%
5 Lawndale 22 3.76% 0.69%
6 Fallston 14 2.33% 0.44%
7 Grover 0 - -
7 0 - -
7 0 - -
7 0 - -
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks city in Cleveland County, NC by their Mexican population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Mexican population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having Mexican ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as Mexican alone, while others identify as Mexican along with another race (such as Mexican and German).
  • We’ve used the “Mexican alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Mexican population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Mexican alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Mexican .
  2. % of Total Cleveland County Mexican Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Mexican population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small Mexican populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • City that don’t have any reported Mexican population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Mexican populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.