• county
  • FIPS 19035
  • Largest town: Cherokee

Cherokee County, Iowa

Cherokee County had 11,658 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 576.9 square miles of land. It ranks 66th of 99 in Iowa by population and 35th by land area.

Population
11,658
#66 of 99 in Iowa · #2,307 in US
Area
576.9 sq mi
#35 of 99 in Iowa · #1,715 in US
Density
20 / sq mi
#72 of 99 in Iowa · #2,241 in US
Median household income
$70,197
#46 of 99 in Iowa · #986 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Cherokee County within Iowa. Pin: Des Moines.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Cherokee County

Cherokee County population, land area and income

Cherokee County had 11,658 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 576.9 square miles of land. It ranks 66th of 99 in Iowa by population and 35th by land area. That works out to 20.2 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Iowa has 15,008 residents; Cherokee County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $70,197 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

11,658

3144th1st

2307th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

577 sq mi

3144th1st

1715th of 3,144 (US)

Density

20.2 / sq mi

3144th1st

2241st of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$70,197

3143rd1st

986th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Iowa (99)

Population

11,658

99th1st

66th of 99 (IA)

Land area

577 sq mi

99th1st

35th of 99 (IA)

Density

20.2 / sq mi

99th1st

72nd of 99 (IA)

Median household income

$70,197

99th1st

46th of 99 (IA)

How Cherokee County's population changed since 2020

Cherokee County gained 0 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 0.0%. That ranks 42nd of 99 in Iowa for growth. The median Iowa county changed by -0.6%, and the state as a whole by +1.6%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Cherokee County recorded 523 births and 737 deaths, a natural change of -214. Net international migration added +115 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +107. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 214 people.

11.7k202011.5k202111.5k202211.7k202311.7k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
523
Deaths
737
Net international migration
+115
Net domestic migration
+107
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+6

Where Cherokee County is

The Census internal point of Cherokee County is at 42.742700, -95.633300. It sits in UTM zone 15N. The map shades Iowa's 99 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Cherokee County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Monroe County: -2.9%Worth County: -1.7%Buena Vista County: +0.0%Jasper County: +0.8%Van Buren County: -0.0%Hardin County: -2.2%Ida County: -3.1%Marshall County: +0.8%Fayette County: -1.5%Ringgold County: -0.8%Wapello County: +1.0%Webster County: -0.2%Adams County: -2.8%Buchanan County: +0.6%Cerro Gordo County: -1.2%Lucas County: +1.6%Emmet County: -1.9%Floyd County: -3.8%Crawford County: -0.7%Linn County: +0.6%Montgomery County: -2.6%Polk County: +4.7%Cherokee County: +0.0%Bremer County: +1.3%Grundy County: +0.5%Adair County: -0.8%Cedar County: -1.4%Story County: +3.9%Mahaska County: -0.6%Davis County: +0.9%Clay County: +0.8%Johnson County: +4.6%Greene County: -1.0%Palo Alto County: -2.0%Benton County: +1.0%Cass County: -0.7%Wright County: -1.5%Audubon County: -2.1%Henry County: -5.3%Boone County: +0.1%Appanoose County: -1.4%Washington County: +0.4%Chickasaw County: -2.2%Poweshiek County: -0.9%Osceola County: -2.6%Wayne County: +1.8%Mitchell County: +0.4%Jefferson County: +0.5%Union County: -1.4%Butler County: -1.2%Hancock County: -1.3%Marion County: +1.9%Delaware County: +0.9%Humboldt County: +0.2%Sioux County: +1.8%Des Moines County: -1.1%O'Brien County: +0.8%Clayton County: -0.6%Black Hawk County: +1.0%Winnebago County: -2.6%Harrison County: +0.4%Decatur County: -1.0%Pocahontas County: -0.9%Lyon County: +3.8%Iowa County: -1.4%Franklin County: +0.3%Dickinson County: +2.2%Madison County: +3.2%Allamakee County: +0.8%Jones County: +2.2%Carroll County: -1.6%Kossuth County: -2.6%Hamilton County: -1.0%Howard County: -1.4%Page County: -1.1%Guthrie County: +1.5%Tama County: -1.8%Monona County: -3.6%Clarke County: -2.1%Lee County: -3.4%Mills County: +2.1%Sac County: -2.7%Scott County: +0.6%Keokuk County: -1.6%Jackson County: -0.3%Warren County: +7.1%Calhoun County: -1.9%Shelby County: +0.8%Fremont County: -1.1%Dubuque County: -0.1%Louisa County: -1.8%Taylor County: -0.6%Woodbury County: +1.2%Clinton County: -0.9%Winneshiek County: -1.6%Pottawattamie County: -0.1%Plymouth County: +0.5%Muscatine County: -2.4%Dallas County: +14.7%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.9%
  2. < -1.0%
  3. < +0.0%
  4. < +0.9%
  5. ≥ +0.9%
no data

Orange pin: Cherokee County internal point. Dark pin: Des Moines.

Internal point

Decimal
42.742700, -95.633300
DMS
42°44'33.72"N 95°37'59.88"W
UTM
15N 284464.5E 4735605.6N
Geohash
9zegpv1fq
Plus code
86J6P9V8+3M

Towns in Cherokee County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Cherokee County, 6,255 people together, or 54% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Cherokee County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Cherokee with 5,186.

  1. 01Cherokee5,186
  2. 02Marcus1,069
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Cherokee County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 8 neighbors for Cherokee County. The most populous is Woodbury County, IA, with 107,257 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Des Moines and the nearest big city

Des Moines is 130.9 miles SE of Cherokee County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Sioux Falls, SD (population 209,289), 78.2 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Storm Lake, IA (population 11,627), 23.2 miles away.

Cherokee County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Cherokee County is 19035: state code 19 for Iowa plus county code 035. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $70,197.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Cherokee County, Iowa?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 11,658. That is up 0 people (0.0%) from the July 2020 estimate of 11,658.

What is the FIPS code of Cherokee County?

19035. The first two digits (19) are Iowa; the last three (035) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Cherokee County?

Cherokee, with 5,186 residents inside Cherokee County in 2024.

Which counties border Cherokee County?

8 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Woodbury County, IA; Sioux County, IA; Plymouth County, IA; Buena Vista County, IA; Clay County, IA; O'Brien County, IA; Sac County, IA; Ida County, IA.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.