Cherokee, IA

Census Place

2024 Population

5,154

US Senator

Chuck Grassley

Republican Party

US Senator

Joni Ernst

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

43.2

2.7% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

18.5%

30.9% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$61,750

26.8% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$136,700

Population & Diversity

Cherokee, IA is home to a population of 5.15k people, from which 96.1% are citizens.

As of 2024, 5.86% of Cherokee, IA residents were born outside of the country (302 people).

In 2024, there were 19.6 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (4.4k people) in Cherokee, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 224 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 175 Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.1%

2024 Citizenship

96.1%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.1% of Cherokee, IA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Cherokee, IA was 96.1%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Cherokee, IA

White (Non-Hispanic)
4.4k ± 191
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
224 ± 160
Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic)
175 ± 135

8.07%

Hispanic Population

416 people

8.07% of the people in Cherokee, IA are hispanic (416 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Cherokee, IA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Iowa.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
44,333 ± 5,134 people
India
11,889 ± 2,672 people
Guatemala
8,189 ± 2,219 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Iowa was Mexico, the natal country of 44,333 Iowa residents, followed by India with 11,889 and Guatemala with 8,189.

Foreign-Born Population

5.86%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

302 people

4.94%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

255 people

As of 2024, 5.86% of Cherokee, IA residents (302 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, IA was 4.94%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
66 ± 57
Gulf War (1990s)
59 ± 53
Gulf War (2001-)
46 ± 50

Cherokee, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.12 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Cherokee, IA employs 2.6k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Cherokee, IA were Retail Trade (759 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (413 people), and Manufacturing (197 people), and the highest paying industries were Construction ($87,830), Public Administration ($78,906), and Finance & Insurance ($69,840).

Employment

Occupations

2.6k

2024 Value

± 374

3.34%

1 Year growth

± 19%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Cherokee, IA grew at a rate of 3.34%, from 2.52k employees to 2.6k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Cherokee, IA, are Material Moving Occupations (442 people), Sales & Related Occupations (378 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (213 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Cherokee, 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

2.6k

2024 Value

± 374

3.34%

1 Year growth

± 19%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Cherokee, IA grew at a rate of 3.34%, from 2.52k employees to 2.6k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Cherokee, IA, are Retail Trade (759 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (413 people), and Manufacturing (197 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Cherokee, IA, though some of these residents may live in Cherokee, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$51,952

Median earning men ± $5,849

$32,087

Median earning women ± $6,610

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Manufacturing ($122,768), Construction ($87,830), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($79,286).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($93,750), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($67,949), and Manufacturing ($46,447).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Cherokee, IA was $136,700 in 2024, which is 0.411 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $119,400 to $136,700, a 14.5% increase. The homeownership rate in Cherokee, IA is 67.8%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Cherokee, IA have an average commute time of 12.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Cherokee, IA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$136,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$43,814

$1,551

Median Property Taxes

±$272

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, 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, IA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

67.8%

Homeownership

2024

60.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 67.8% of the housing units in Cherokee, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 63.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Cherokee, 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.

$61,750

Median Household Income

± $10,015

2.29k

Number of Households

± 327

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.29k households in Cherokee, IA grew to $61,750 from the previous year's value of $48,693.

The following chart displays the households in Cherokee, 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 $150k - $200k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Cherokee, IA is from Iowa.

0.435

2024 Wage GINI in Iowa

0.441

2023 Wage GINI in Iowa

In 2024, the income inequality in Iowa was 0.435 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 1.29% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Iowa was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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 (79.2%)
Worked At Home (8.54%)
Carpooled (7.6%)

In 2024, 79.2% of workers in Cherokee, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (8.54%) and those who carpooled to work (7.6%).

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

12.4 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Cherokee, IA have a shorter commute time (12.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0% of the workforce in Cherokee, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

18.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Cherokee, IA (911 out of 4.93k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 6 - 11, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 75+.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Cherokee, 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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

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

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

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