Cherokee County, NC

County

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2023 Population

29,197

1.14% 1-year growth

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

53.3

0.756% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

14.6%

12.6% 1-year decrease

2023 Median Household Income

$51,496

4.55% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$208,700

7.86% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

11,841

3.95% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, Cherokee County, NC had a population of 29.2k people with a median age of 53.3 and a median household income of $51,496. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Cherokee County, NC grew from 28,868 to 29,197, a 1.14% increase and its median household income grew from $49,254 to $51,496, a 4.55% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Cherokee County, NC are White (Non-Hispanic) (90.1%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (2.57%), Two+ (Hispanic) (1.63%), American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) (1.56%), and Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (1.54%).

None of the households in Cherokee County, NC reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

99.3% of the residents in Cherokee County, NC are U.S. citizens.

In 2023, the median property value in Cherokee County, NC was $208,700, and the homeownership rate was 83.6%.

Most people in Cherokee County, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 26.5 minutes. The average car ownership in Cherokee County, NC was 2 cars per household.

Cherokee County, NC borders Fannin County, GA, Union County, GA, Clay County, NC, Graham County, NC, Macon County, NC, Monroe County, TN, and Polk County, TN.

United States North Carolina

Population & Diversity

Cherokee County, NC is home to a population of 29.2k people, from which 99.3% are citizens. As of 2023, 1.93% of Cherokee County, NC residents were born outside of the country (563 people).

In 2023, there were 35.1 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (26.3k people) in Cherokee County, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 750 Two+ (Non-Hispanic) and 476 Two+ (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.3%

2023 Citizenship

99.1%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 99.3% of Cherokee County, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Cherokee County, NC was 99.1%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Cherokee County, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Cherokee County, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
26.3k ± 71
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
750 ± 153
Two+ (Hispanic)
476 ± 214

3.49%

Hispanic Population

1.02k people

3.49% of the people in Cherokee County, NC are hispanic (1.02k people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Cherokee County, NC as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Cherokee County, NC.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
214,508 ± 11,254 people
India
79,868 ± 6,912 people
Honduras
39,759 ± 4,886 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Cherokee County, NC was Mexico, the natal country of 214,508 Cherokee County, NC residents, followed by India with 79,868 and Honduras with 39,759.

Foreign-Born Population

1.93%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

563 people

2.04%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

588 people

As of 2023, 1.93% of Cherokee County, NC residents (563 people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Cherokee County, NC was 2.04%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Cherokee County, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,251 ± 224
Gulf War (2001-)
375 ± 161
Gulf War (1990s)
352 ± 138

Cherokee County, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 3.34 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Cherokee County, NC employs 11.8k people. The largest industries in Cherokee County, NC are Retail Trade (2,095 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,618 people), and Construction (1,221 people), and the highest paying industries are Utilities ($70,473), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($66,321), and Transportation & Warehousing ($63,220).

Males in North Carolina have an average income that is 1.31 times higher than the average income of females, which is $57,464. The income inequality in North Carolina (measured using the Gini index) is N/A, which is N/A than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

11.8k

2023 Value

± 871

3.95%

1 Year growth

± 9.91%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Cherokee County, NC grew at a rate of 3.95%, from 11.4k employees to 11.8k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Cherokee County, NC, are Sales & Related Occupations (2,081 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,135 people), and Management Occupations (985 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Cherokee County, NC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for false.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in North Carolina (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

11.8k

2023 Value

± 871

3.95%

1 Year growth

± 9.91%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Cherokee County, NC grew at a rate of 3.95%, from 11.4k employees to 11.8k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Cherokee County, NC, are Retail Trade (2,095 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,618 people), and Construction (1,221 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Cherokee County, NC, though some of these residents may live in Cherokee County, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$38,098

Median earning men ± $4,491

$34,242

Median earning women ± $3,468

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($70,372), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($49,943), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($49,559).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Public Administration ($42,143), Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodations & Food Services ($40,469), and Information ($40,278).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

Y-Axis

3.04%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.86M people employed in North Carolina. This represents a 3.04% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in North Carolina.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

62
Construction
56
Other Services (except Public Administration)
55
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

Depending on the option selected, the visualization shows the number of employees or number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$63.4k
Accommodation and Food Services
$51.9k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$51.5k
Manufacturing

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

In 2022, universities in Cherokee County, NC awarded 257 degrees. The student population of Cherokee County, NC in 2022 is skewed towards women, with 356 male students and 532 female students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2022 there were 888 students enrolled in Cherokee County, NC, 40.1% men and 59.9% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 757 records, of which 60.4% were women and 39.6% men.

Completions

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($2,304) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2022.

Public, 2-year ($59) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2022.

Public, 2-year ($1,480) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

Measure

In 2022, 0.944% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.805% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (2.16M), Some college (1.84M), and Bachelors Degree (1.63M).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Cherokee County, NC was $208,700 in 2023, which is 0.688 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $193,500 to $208,700, a 7.86% increase. The homeownership rate in Cherokee County, NC is 83.6%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Cherokee County, NC have an average commute time of 26.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Cherokee County, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2023, 11.7% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Cherokee County, NC. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator grew 0.0081%.

Housing

Property

$208,700

Median Property Value 2023

±$8,878

$10,905

Median Property Taxes

±$752

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Cherokee County, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Cherokee County, NC compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

83.6%

Homeownership

2023

69.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 83.6% of the housing units in Cherokee County, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 81.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Cherokee County, NC compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

The following map shows all of the tracts in Cherokee County, NC colored by their Median Household Income (N/A).

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Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$51,496

Median Household Income

± $3,907

13k

Number of Households

± 831

In 2023, the median household income of the 13k households in Cherokee County, NC grew to $51,496 from the previous year's value of $49,254.

The following chart displays the households in Cherokee County, NC distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Cherokee County, NC is from Cherokee County, NC.

N/A Wage GINI in N/A

In N/A, the income inequality in N/A was N/A according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a N/A N/A from N/A to N/A, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat N/A even. The GINI for N/A was N/A than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed N/A evenly in N/A in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Cherokee County, NC across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023

Drove Alone (77.5%)
Worked At Home (10.7%)
Carpooled (7.79%)

In 2023, 77.5% of workers in Cherokee County, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (10.7%) and those who carpooled to work (7.79%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

26.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Cherokee County, NC have a shorter commute time (26.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 4.93% of the workforce in Cherokee County, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Cherokee County, NC compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Cherokee County, NC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Cherokee County, NC have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2023, 11.7% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Cherokee County, NC. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator grew 0.0081%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

14.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Cherokee County, NC (4.22k out of 28.8k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 55 - 64, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 75+.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Cherokee County, NC is White, followed by Native American and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2023, 26.9% of the children was living in poverty in Cherokee County, NC. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 10.7%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

85.2% of the population of Cherokee County, NC has health coverage, with 27% on employee plans, 16.5% on Medicaid, 25% on Medicare, 13.6% on non-group plans, and 3.03% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Cherokee County, NC see 2077 patients per year on average, which represents a 12.9% decrease from the previous year (2384 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2652 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 711 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.8% were men and 52.2% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,077 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Cherokee County, NC

Primary care physicians in Cherokee County, NC see an average of 2,077 patients per year. This represents a 12.9% decrease from the previous year (2,384 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Cherokee County, NC in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 17.2% under 18 years, 13.2% between 18 and 34 years, 38.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 31.1% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.8% were men and 52.2% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

14.8%

Uninsured

27%

Employer Coverage

16.5%

Medicaid

25%

Medicare

13.6%

Non-Group

3.03%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Cherokee County, NC declined by 9.11% from 16.2% to 14.8%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Cherokee County, NC changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2023, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 105 in Cherokee County, NC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Cherokee County, NC.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2023, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 32.7% in Cherokee County, NC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Cherokee County, NC.