Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Cleveland grades D overall, 150th of 175 graded towns in Tennessee, mostly because of safety and health. Its crime rate is higher than 86% of U.S. towns, with 277 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Residents are less healthy than 82% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It also has a long history, with 18 places on the National Register. 39% of working residents work locally in Cleveland, above both the Tennessee town median (12%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Rattlesnake Springs and Hair Conrad Cabin.
Where Cleveland beats most towns.
Hughes, W. J., Business House (Additional Documentation)| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Lee University | 3,258 |
| Cleveland State Community College | 2,758 |
| Pentecostal Theological Seminary | 82 |
Matt Lampson
Census counts: 806 in 1860, 47,356 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1866 and 4 maps from 1935 on.
18 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Cleveland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cleveland, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Cleveland.
Cleveland draws workers from Chattanooga and beyond and looks healthier within Tennessee than nationally, but it trails South Cleveland and its other neighbors on schools.
32,886 jobs are based in Cleveland, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 3 of Cleveland’s working residents works in town. 17% of Cleveland residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Chattanooga (21%), Nashville (4%) and Knoxville (3%).
| Cleveland | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Each of its 4 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its C+, South Cleveland highest at A−.
Its public schools are run by the Cleveland school district. Three of its 23 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,291 | B− |
| Cleveland HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,755 | C |
| North Lee Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 485 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 1,571 to 1,187 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Cleveland is 5.4 per 1,000 residents. Cleveland reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 86% report less. The property crime rate in Cleveland is 17.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Cleveland | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.4 per 1,000 residents | 2.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 17.9 per 1,000 residents | 11.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Within Tennessee it is healthier than 50% of the 176 graded towns: much of Tennessee scores lower on these measures.
21% of adults report frequent mental distress in Cleveland. Cleveland beats the Tennessee average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 41% of adults have obesity in Cleveland.
| Cleveland | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 39% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 29% | 23% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Cleveland | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 13.7% | 11.6% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 10.3% | 8.9% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 18.4% | 16.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
136 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 19 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 136 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Cleveland.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Cleveland has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 30° and about 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Cleveland has grown 7% since 2020, to 51,172 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Cleveland’s median age is 36.4 years. 30% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across Tennessee.
| Cleveland | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 36.4 years | 40 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 30% | 23% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 21% | 22% | 22% |
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.2 points). Across Tennessee, 50.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 38.4, men 33.6.
| Cleveland | TN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.8% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.1% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 13.9% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.9% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.5% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.5% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.5% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.3% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.4% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.4% | 10% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.9% | 31.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.2% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.3% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.7% | 19.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.5% | 11.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
4.6 miles of trail in 13 parks and preserves. Fletcher Park, at 54 acres with 1.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Cleveland | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.4% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fletcher Park | 1.6 mi | 54 |
| 2. Tinsley Park | 0.6 mi | 34 |
| 3. Schimmels Park | 0.4 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Cleveland home is worth about $308,000, up 1.2% in a year, 7% below the Tennessee typical home.
| Cleveland | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 48% | 66% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 50% | 45% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,034 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
4 within 15 miles of the center of Cleveland
About 9 of every 100 Cleveland residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
3 colleges in town.
18 places in Cleveland on the National Register of Historic Places.
33 notable people were born in Cleveland.
City in Tennessee, United States
Cleveland is the county seat of and the largest city in Bradley County, Tennessee. The population was 47,356 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Cleveland metropolitan area, Tennessee (consisting of Bradley and neighboring Polk County), which is included in the Chattanooga–Cleveland–Dalton, TN–GA–AL Combined Statistical Area. Cleveland is the seventeenth-largest city in Tennessee and has the fifth-largest industrial economy, having thirteen Fortune 500 manufacturers.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Cleveland.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Wildwood Lake (C) is closest.
| Town | TN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | #150 | D | C | D | C+ | C− |
| South Cleveland | #42 | B− | A− | — | A− | C− |
| East Cleveland | — | — | A− | — | A− | D− |
| Hopewell | #44 | B− | B | — | A− | B− |
| Wildwood Lake | #79 | C | B | — | A− | D |
East Cleveland has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. South Cleveland, East Cleveland, Hopewell and Wildwood Lake report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Cleveland with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cleveland grades D overall, better than 8% of U.S. towns and #150 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades C− for health, D for safety and C+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 4.7 years of the area's median household income ($66,135 across the Cleveland, TN metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
33 notable people were born here, including Matt Lampson and Anthony Burger.
