Population
630 residents
Census ACS 2023 - North Carolina
City profile · North Carolina · Census ACS 2023
Cliffside, NC
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Cliffside - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 630
- Residents
- $925
- Median rent (state)
Cliffside - the verdict
Cliffside has 630 residents in North Carolina. Source: Census ACS.
- 7th
- percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Cliffside, NC
630 people live in Cliffside, North Carolina - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The median resident age is 50.6 years. About 24.0% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 31.1% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The city is served by 1 public schools according to NCES Common Core of Data.
Living costs in North Carolina run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts North Carolina at 94.3 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Below Average). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $925 monthly. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in North Carolina run around $215, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. The average commute for Cliffside workers runs 14.1 minutes, with 86.4% driving alone and 13.6% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 72.7 out of 100 (High).
Median Household Income
N/A /yr
Poverty 8.6%
Cost of Living Index (state)
94.3 (US=100)
Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, North Carolina average
How does Cliffside compare to other US cities?
Where Cliffside sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Median rent 7% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Cliffside against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to North Carolina only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
North Carolina-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Cliffside near the bottom of North Carolina's cities
Among the 746 North Carolina cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Cliffside ranks #552 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Cliffside only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Gross Rent
#552 of 746
0th percentile in North Carolina
Poverty Rate
#390 of 746
47th percentile in North Carolina
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#318 of 746
57th percentile in North Carolina
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within North Carolina only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Income distribution context
Median household income is not available for Cliffside in the current Census ACS release (common for very small places).
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 24.0%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 8.6%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 31.1%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
630
Median Income
N/A
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
50.6
Poverty Rate
8.6%
Labor force participation
31.1%
Bachelor's Degree+
24.0%
Schools
Total Schools
1
Public schools in this city
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
14.1 minutes
Drive Alone
86.4%
Carpool
0.0%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
13.6%
Based on 184 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for North Carolina - EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$115
avg/month
Natural Gas
$55
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$45
avg/month
Total Utilities
$215
estimated/month
Estimates reflect North Carolina state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Cost of living is a North Carolina state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Cliffside sits in
Cost of Living Index
94.3
Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$925/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
72.7 / 100
High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)
Similar Cities in North Carolina
Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Cliffside's 630 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Race & Ethnicity Composition
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
How Cliffside compares to nearby North Carolina cities
Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Census ACS 5-year FIPS NC NCES CCD OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Cliffside, NC?
What is the population of Cliffside, NC? +
The population of Cliffside, NC stands at 630 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the cost of living in Cliffside? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Cliffside; the closest available measure is the North Carolina state average, a cost of living index of 94.3 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Below Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within North Carolina vary by metro area.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NCES CCD, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.
Citation & verification links
Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCitiesEvery figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.