CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

35.15° N · 84.85° W · GEOID 4722500

East Cleveland

Bradley County, Tennessee · part of the Cleveland, TN metro

Limited data population under 5,000

TennesseeEast Cleveland, TNEast ClevelandEast Cleveland

The short answer

East Cleveland is home to 1,934 people. Median household income is $48,878 a year and median rent is $911 a month, 22.4% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $124,100, about 2.5x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$911
33% below the median place
Median household income
$48,878
39% below the median place
Median home value
$124,100
61% below the median place
Unemployment
6.6%
34% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about East Cleveland

  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 13.2% a year while rent rose 5%, so pay gained on rent more than in 96% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 3rd-lowest of 112 Tennessee places.
  • 0% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a smaller share than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 112 Tennessee places.
  • Renters occupy 65% of homes, more than in 98% of places its size. It is the lowest of 112 Tennessee places.
  • Owning with a mortgage costs about $1,652 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 96% of places its size. It is the highest of 112 Tennessee places.
  • Households average 3.29 people, larger than in 95% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 112 Tennessee places.
01

Moving to East Cleveland

Bradley County gains about 12.1 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in5,808
Moved out4,744
Net+1,064

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Hamilton County, TN1,2451,084+161
Polk County, TN286359−73
Meigs County, TN128154−26
Knox County, TN84113−29

Within Tennessee, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within TennesseeOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$58K
Leavers$52K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Bradley County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
0.0% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Bradley County report $57,500 a year in income on average; those leaving, $52,400, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$36,400 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $911 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,563 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $124,100.
Getting to work
21 minutes each way on average; 9.1% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
St. Louis, MI matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
0.0%
below the median place (median 5.7%)
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people6
12.1
above the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureEast ClevelandAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year10.0%below (median 5.7%)
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure12.1above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6County figure$57,52518% below
Income of households moving out6County figure$52,36025% below
02

What it costs to live here

Property tax paid (median) is $425, 87% below the median place.

East Cleveland22.4%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$36,440
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
22.4%
10% above the median place
Home price to income
2.5x
33% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
22%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$40,600
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in East Cleveland, $911 a month, and local prices for everything else (93.8 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like East Cleveland, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
St. Louis, MI18.6% vs 22.4%n/aCompare
Southeast Arcadia, FL18.7% vs 22.4%n/aCompare
Central City, KY16.1% vs 22.4%n/aCompare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in East Cleveland.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to East Cleveland? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Property tax paid (median)1
$425
87% below the median place
Property tax rate1
0.3%
63% below the median place
Homeownership1
35.4%
47% below the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureEast ClevelandAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$91133% below
Rent to income122.4%10% above
Property tax rate10.3%63% below
Home price to income12.5x33% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure88.113% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,27021% below
Property tax paid (median)1$42587% below
Median home value1$124,10061% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure3.7%16% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure66.0%28% above
Homeownership135.4%47% below
Renters paying 30%+134.4%32% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,56337% above
Vacant homes1County figure7.3%3% above
Median year built119820% above
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Income per person1
$15,946
60% below the median place
Poverty rate1
26.5%
146% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureEast ClevelandAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$48,87839% below
Income per person1$15,94660% below
Unemployment1County figure6.6%34% above
Average annual pay5County figure$57,02014% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure4.9%32% above
Jobs5County figure40,03373% below
Poverty rate126.5%146% above
Mean commute121 min15% below
Works from home1County figure9.1%27% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Bachelor's or higher is 0.0%, below the median place (median 32.1%).

Bachelor's or higher1
0.0%
below the median place (median 32.1%)
No health insurance1
25.2%
294% above the median place
Household size1
3.3
32% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

High school or higher77.2% −16%
Median age37.6 −4%
Homes with broadband91.0% −1%
All 8 people measures
MeasureEast ClevelandAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,9346646th largest
Median age137.64% below
Bachelor's or higher10.0%below (median 32.1%)
High school or higher177.2%16% below
Household size13.332% above
Born abroad1County figure5.9%33% below
No health insurance125.2%294% above
Homes with broadband191.0%1% below
05

Life in East Cleveland

24 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, one of them a National Historic Landmark.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k5.2 −54%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars17.3 −17%
Shops34.0 +12%
Arts, recreation and fitness2.5 −39%
Doctors' offices and clinics17.1 −15%
Child care centers2.9 +26%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7
2.5
39% below the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k7
17.3
17% below the median place
Public school students10
16,092
229% above the median place
All 15 schools and local life measures
MeasureEast ClevelandAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10County figure27200% above
Public school students10County figure16,092229% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure17.317% below
Shops per 10k7County figure34.012% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure2.539% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure17.115% below
Child care centers per 10k7County figure2.926% above
Parks per 10k80.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k80.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k80.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k85.254% below
Libraries per 10k80.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails80.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi80.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings9County figure2485% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Annual precipitation is 55.6 in, 27% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached East Cleveland. Larger places are fetched first.

Annual precipitation11
55.6 in
27% above the median place
Heat wave risk12
46.3
49% below the median place
Natural hazard risk12
73.4
21% below the median place
All 9 weather and risk measures
MeasureEast ClevelandAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure89°F2% above
January average low11County figure30°F19% above
Average temperature11County figure60°F9% above
Annual precipitation11County figure55.6 in27% above
Natural hazard risk12County figure73.421% below
Hurricane risk12County figure55.821% below
Tornado risk12County figure88.49% above
Wildfire risk12County figure47.223% below
Heat wave risk12County figure46.349% below
08

East Cleveland in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 22% of the median income in 2030, down from 22% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$911/mo (2024)$1,170/mo$960 to $1,420/mo+4.2%
Median household income$48,878 (2024)$65,000$55,000 to $77,000+4.8%
Median home value$124,100 (2024)$185,000$134,000 to $255,000+6.9%

The median home would be worth 2.8 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.5 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like East Cleveland

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
St. Louis, MI$794$51,167Compare
Calipatria, CA$919$53,299Compare
Southeast Arcadia, FL$939$60,169Compare
Brownfield, TX$811$42,150Compare
Brownfield, TXSoutheast Arcadia, FLCalipatria, CASt. Louis, MIEast Cleveland, TNEast ClevelandSt. LouisCalipatriaSoutheast ArcadiaBrownfieldEast ClevelandSt. LouisCalipatriaSoutheast ArcadiaBrownfield

Common questions

Is East Cleveland a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 13.2% a year while rent rose 5%, so pay gained on rent more than in 96% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 3rd-lowest of 112 Tennessee places. 0% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a smaller share than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 112 Tennessee places. On cost, space and class size it scores 40 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is East Cleveland expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 22.4% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $124,100.

What salary do you need to live in East Cleveland?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $36,440 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to East Cleveland?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are St. Louis, MI, Calipatria, CA, Southeast Arcadia, FL and Brownfield, TX.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  7. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  8. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  9. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  10. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  11. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  12. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares East Cleveland with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for East Cleveland itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/east-cleveland-tennessee

Citytistics. “East Cleveland, Tennessee.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/east-cleveland-tennessee/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.