From its founding in 1796, Cleveland's population grew to 796,841 in 1920, making it the fifth largest city in the United States at the time. By 1930, the population rose to 900,429 and, after World War II, it reached 914,808. Due to various historical factors including deindustrialization, suburbanization, and urban sprawl, Cleveland's population began decreasing in the 1960s. By 1980, the city's population was 573,822 and it had lost its position as one of the top 10 largest cities in the U.S. By 2019, the population had further fallen to 381,009. Beginning in 2018, the city's population began to flatten, after decades of decline. Additionally, since 2010, some neighborhoods within Cleveland, notably Downtown, have begun seeing a population increase.
Population (2010)
As of the 2010 Census, there were 396,815 people, 167,490 households, and 89,821 families residing in the city of Cleveland. The population density was 5,113/sq mi. During the day, incoming commuters from other parts of Cuyahoga County and the Greater Cleveland metropolitan area increase Cleveland's population by 30%. The racial and ethnic composition of Cleveland in 2010 was as follows:
Among the city's non-Hispanic white population, 9.9% were of German, 8.1% Irish, 5.0% Italian, 4.3% Polish, 2.8% English, 1.6% Slovak, and 1.5% Hungarian ancestry according to Census 2010. 88.3% spoke English, 6.5% Spanish, 0.5% Polish, and 0.5% French as their first language. Cleveland is home to 480 Slovene speakers, the largest of any city in the nation. According to 2010 Census, there were 167,490 households in Cleveland, and 111,904 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,107.2 people per square mile. There were 207,536 housing units at an average density of 2,782.4 per square mile. 53.6% were family households and 46.4% were non family households. A total of 25.2% of households had children under 18 years, and 10.7% had someone over the age of 65. The average household size was 2.29, while the average family size was 3.11. In the city the population was spread out with 28.5% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.7 years. Females comprised 52.0% of the population and males accounted for 48.0%. The median income for a household in the city was $27,349, and the median income for a family was $31,182. The per capita income for the city was $16,302. 31.0% of the population and 22.9% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 37.6% of those under the age of 18 and 16.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. Of the city's population over the age of 25, 13.1% held a bachelor's degree or higher, and 75.7% had a high school diploma or equivalent.
Ethnic and racial composition
Within Cleveland, the non-Hispanic white and Hispanic populations are largely concentrated on the city's West Side, while the African American population is largely concentrated on the East Side and the Asian community is mostly concentrated in the historical Asiatown neighborhood. The East-West racial divide is a legacy of redlining and blockbusting on Cleveland's East Side, and before the 1950s, no such division existed, as the poet Langston Hughes observed. 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. The city's Downtown is majority non-Hispanic white, with African American, Asian, and Hispanic minorities. The demographic distribution has largely remained stable since the 1970s, although there have been significant shifts in the composition of certain neighborhoods, notably Collinwood and Broadway–Slavic Village. Cleveland's African American population increased from 235,405 in 1990 to 246,242 in 2000. However, with increased African American migration to nearby East Side suburbs, this number has declined to 211,672 in 2010 and to 188,980 as of the 2019 U.S. census estimate. During the 2010s, the non-Hispanic white, Hispanic, and Asian populations increased in the city. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Cleveland saw a massive influx of immigrants from Ireland, Italy, and the Austro-Hungarian, German, Russian, and Ottoman Empires, most of whom were attracted by manufacturing jobs. In 1920, the city proper boasted a foreign-born population of 30% and, in 1870, that percentage was 42%. As a result of the U.S. immigration restrictions of 1921 and 1924 and the decline of industry, Cleveland's foreign-born population decreased over time and is currently 5.4% as of 2019, while the foreign-born population of Cuyahoga County is 7.2%. In Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, most of the foreign-born are from Europe, the Middle East, East Asia, Latin America, and South Asia, with smaller numbers of immigrants from Africa. Within Cleveland, the neighborhoods with the highest foreign-born populations are Asiatown/Goodrich–Kirtland Park, Clark–Fulton, West Boulevard, Brooklyn Centre, Downtown, University Circle, and Jefferson. Within Cuyahoga County, many Cleveland suburbs also boast high foreign-born populations, especially East Side suburbs such as Beachwood, Mayfield Heights, and Solon with their large communities of Russian-speaking immigrants from the post-Soviet states. The streetcar suburb of Lakewood also has a significant foreign-born population and has been recognized locally as a hotspot for immigrants. In the 2010s, the immigrant population of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County began to see significant growth, becoming one of the fastest growing centers for immigration in the Great Lakes region. A 2019 study found Cleveland to be the city with the shortest average processing time in the nation for immigrants to become U.S. citizens, and a 2020 analysis found Cleveland to be the most ethnically and racially diverse city in Ohio.
European and Middle Eastern communities
The non-Hispanic white population is mostly concentrated on Cleveland's West Side, Downtown, and University Circle, and comprises 33.7% according to the 2019 census estimate. This category, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, encompasses Cleveland's many ethnic European and Middle Eastern communities. Among them are Irish, Italians, Germans, and several Central-Eastern European ethnicities, including Czechs, Hungarians, Lithuanians, Poles, Romanians, Russians, Rusyns, Slovaks, Ukrainians, and ex-Yugoslav groups, such as Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs. The presence of Hungarians within Cleveland proper was, at one time, so great that the city boasted the highest concentration of Hungarians in the world outside of Budapest. Cleveland also has a long-established Jewish community, as well as significant communities of Albanians, Arabs, Armenians, French, Greeks, Iranians, Scots, and Turks.
African American community
According to the 2019 census estimate, African Americans comprise about 49.6% of Cleveland's population. The community expanded greatly during the 20th century as a result of the First and Second Great Migrations. Most of the African American neighborhoods are on the East Side of Cleveland, but there is also a significant community on the West Side, particularly in the Bellaire–Puritas neighborhood. Cleveland also has small African and West Indian immigrant populations.
According to the 2019 census estimate, the Hispanic and Latino community forms 11.6% of the city's population and has been growing in recent decades. The vast majority are of Puerto Rican descent, but the community also includes immigrants from Mexico, Cuba, South and Central America, and Spain. The Clark–Fulton neighborhood on the West Side has the highest concentration of Hispanics in Cleveland. The adjacent West Side neighborhoods of Brooklyn Centre, Stockyards, and Detroit–Shoreway also have significant Hispanic populations.
Asian community
Centered on historical Asiatown, Cleveland's Asian community comprises 2.4% of the population and has also been growing, according to the 2019 census estimate. The Asian community consists of Chinese, Koreans, Vietnamese, and other groups.
