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

The Scottish population in Cleveland County, NC is recorded at 1,927 residents, based on the latest U.S. Census estimates. Each city in Cleveland County, NC has some Scottish population, but the county''s higher total suggests additional rural or non-municipal representation. The analysis below explores how Scottish communities are spread across Cleveland County, NC and comparable counties throughout North Carolina.

Top 5 cities with the largest Scottish population in Cleveland County

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  • 1
    Shelby
    Scottish population in Shelby is 270
    1.23% of Shelby population is Scottish
  • 2
    Kings Mountain
    Scottish population in Kings Mountain is 265
    2.31% of Kings Mountain population is Scottish
  • 3
    Boiling Springs
    Scottish population in Boiling Springs is 245
    5.30% of Boiling Springs population is Scottish
  • 4
    Belwood
    Scottish population in Belwood is 35
    3.77% of Belwood population is Scottish
  • 5
    Polkville
    Scottish population in Polkville is 25
    4.61% of Polkville population is Scottish

Overview of Scottish population in Cleveland County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data shows Cleveland County contains 1,927 Scottish residents (1.9% of 100,170 total county population), ranking the jurisdiction at the 80th percentile nationally among counties and 64th percentile within North Carolina for Scottish demographic concentrations across both absolute and proportional measures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS data documents Cleveland County's Scottish demographic representation of 1.9%, exceeding the national average of 1.6% while remaining below North Carolina's elevated state average of 2.2%, placing the county above national concentration levels while below state demographic averages.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates Cleveland County contains 1,927 Scottish residents, representing less than 1% of North Carolina's total Scottish population of 230,229.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey show Cleveland County maintains 4.2 Scottish Americans per square mile, marginally below North Carolina's state average of 4.7 per square mile, placing the county near state demographic representation levels.
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10 Cities in Cleveland County Ranked by Scottish Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] confirm Scottish populations in every incorporated city in the county, with the largest counts in Shelby, Kings Mountain, Boiling Springs, and Belwood. The table below provides detailed figures, including total population, density measures, and demographic distributions, based on the current ACS data for all 10 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Cleveland County, NC ranked by Scottish population count
Rank by Scottish Population
City
Scottish Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Cleveland County Scottish Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Shelby 270 1.23% 14.01%
2 Kings Mountain 265 2.31% 13.75%
3 Boiling Springs 245 5.30% 12.71%
4 Belwood 35 3.77% 1.82%
5 Polkville 25 4.61% 1.30%
6 Grover 18 2.99% 0.93%
7 Fallston 11 1.83% 0.57%
8 8 1.60% 0.42%
9 3 0.31% 0.16%
10 1 0.17% 0.05%
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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 Scottish population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Scottish 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 Scottish 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 Scottish alone, while others identify as Scottish along with another race (such as Scottish and German).
  • We’ve used the “Scottish alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Scottish population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Scottish 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 Scottish .
  2. % of Total Cleveland County Scottish Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Scottish 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 Scottish 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 Scottish 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 Scottish populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

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