Cherokee County, IA

County

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2024 Population

11,600

US Senator

Chuck Grassley

Republican Party

US Senator

Joni Ernst

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

1.12% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

12.1%

20.6% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$71,269

10.5% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$158,700

9.37% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

5,997

0.419% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Cherokee County, IA 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.

98% of the residents in Cherokee County, IA are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Cherokee County, IA was $158,700, and the homeownership rate was 75.5%.

Most people in Cherokee County, IA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 16.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Cherokee County, IA was 2 cars per household.

Cherokee County, IA borders Buena Vista County, IA, Clay County, IA, Ida County, IA, O'Brien County, IA, Plymouth County, IA, Sac County, IA, Sioux County, IA, and Woodbury County, IA.

United States Iowa

Population & Diversity

Cherokee County, IA is home to a population of 11.6k people, from which 98% are citizens. As of 2024, 3.56% of Cherokee County, IA residents were born outside of the country (413 people).

In 2024, there were 31.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (10.3k people) in Cherokee County, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 323 Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic) and 288 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98%

2024 Citizenship

98%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98% of Cherokee County, IA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Cherokee County, IA was 98%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Cherokee County, IA

White (Non-Hispanic)
10.3k ± 143
Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic)
323 ± 167
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
288 ± 133

5.35%

Hispanic Population

621 people

5.35% of the people in Cherokee County, IA are hispanic (621 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Cherokee County, IA 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 Iowa.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
42,808 ± 5,046 people
India
12,283 ± 2,716 people
China
7,889 ± 2,178 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Iowa was Mexico, the natal country of 42,808 Iowa residents, followed by India with 12,283 and China with 7,889.

Foreign-Born Population

3.56%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

413 people

3.57%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

414 people

As of 2024, 3.56% of Cherokee County, IA residents (413 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Cherokee County, IA was 3.57%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
191 ± 61
Gulf War (1990s)
165 ± 102
Gulf War (2001-)
127 ± 61

Cherokee County, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.16 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Cherokee County, IA.

Economy

The economy of Cherokee County, IA employs 6k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Cherokee County, IA were Retail Trade (1,128 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (853 people), and Manufacturing (744 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($92,917), Finance & Insurance ($69,295), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($67,628).

Employment

Occupations

2024 Value

± 452

0.419%

1 Year growth

± 10.4%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Cherokee County, IA grew at a rate of 0.419%, from 5.97k employees to 6k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Cherokee County, IA, are Management Occupations (724 people), Sales & Related Occupations (604 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (575 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Cherokee County, IA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Iowa (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.

Industries

Employment by Industries

2024 Value

± 452

0.419%

1 Year growth

± 10.4%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Cherokee County, IA grew at a rate of 0.419%, from 5.97k employees to 6k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Cherokee County, IA, are Retail Trade (1,128 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (853 people), and Manufacturing (744 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Cherokee County, IA, though some of these residents may live in Cherokee County, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$54,481

Median earning men ± $3,718

$35,345

Median earning women ± $3,021

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($86,250), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($86,000), and Construction ($62,269).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($86,875), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($60,486), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($58,333).

Employment by Industry Sector

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

Y-Axis

1.48%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.57M people employed in Iowa. This represents a 1.48% 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 Iowa.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

29
Other Services (except Public Administration)
24
Construction
22
Retail Trade

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

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$48.5k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$36.7k
Transportation and Warehousing
$23.2k
Manufacturing

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

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Iowa went to Donald J. Trump with 55.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (42.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.789%).

Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst are the senators currently representing the state of Iowa. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Iowa is currently represented by 4 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Cherokee County, IA. Showing the available data for Iowa.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (55.7%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (42.5%)
Democratic Party
Robert Kennedy (0.789%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Iowa went to Donald J. Trump with 55.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (42.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.789%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Iowa for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Iowa

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.

Chuck Grassley

Senator from Iowa

Assumed office on January 3, 1981

Joni Ernst

Senator from Iowa

Assumed office on January 3, 2015

Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst are the senators currently representing Iowa.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Iowa over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Cherokee County, IA was $158,700 in 2024, which is 0.477 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $145,100 to $158,700, a 9.37% increase. The homeownership rate in Cherokee County, IA is 75.5%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Cherokee County, IA have an average commute time of 16.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Cherokee County, IA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 8.39% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Cherokee County, IA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 2.59%.

Housing

Property

$158,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$15,220

$3,810

Median Property Taxes

±$341

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, IA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

75.5%

Homeownership

2024

62.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 75.5% of the housing units in Cherokee County, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 73.3%.

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

Equity

Household Income

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

$71,269

Median Household Income

± $4,228

5.05k

Number of Households

± 395

In 2024, the median household income of the 5.05k households in Cherokee County, IA grew to $71,269 from the previous year's value of $64,478.

The following chart displays the households in Cherokee County, IA 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, IA is from Iowa.

0.441

2023 Wage GINI in Iowa

0.442

2022 Wage GINI in Iowa

In 2023, the income inequality in Iowa was 0.441 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.304% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Iowa was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Iowa in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Iowa across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (77.9%)
Worked At Home (8.58%)
Carpooled (7.76%)

In 2024, 77.9% of workers in Cherokee County, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (8.58%) and those who carpooled to work (7.76%).

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

16.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Cherokee County, IA have a shorter commute time (16.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.13% of the workforce in Cherokee County, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Cherokee County, IA 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, IA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Cherokee County, IA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 8.39% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Cherokee County, IA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 2.59%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

12.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Cherokee County, IA (1.37k out of 11.3k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 6 - 11, followed by Females 75+ and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Cherokee County, IA is White, followed by Hispanic and Black.

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 2025, 12.9% of the children was living in poverty in Cherokee County, IA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.6%.

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.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 175 in Cherokee County, IA. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 136 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

95.2% of the population of Cherokee County, IA has health coverage, with 47.7% on employee plans, 15.7% on Medicaid, 19.1% on Medicare, 12% on non-group plans, and 0.671% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Cherokee County, IA see 1,917 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,917 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 3830 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 725 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.3% were men and 49.7% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,917 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Cherokee County, IA

Primary care physicians in Cherokee County, IA see an average of 1,917 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,917 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.4% under 18 years, 15% between 18 and 34 years, 37.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 23.3% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.3% were men and 49.7% were women.

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

Uninsured People

4.83%

Uninsured

47.7%

Employer Coverage

15.7%

Medicaid

19.1%

Medicare

12%

Non-Group

0.671%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Cherokee County, IA declined by 20.6% from 6.08% to 4.83%.

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

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2016, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 99.3 in Cherokee County, IA.

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

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, 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 40.2% in Cherokee County, IA.

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