• county
  • FIPS 37039
  • Largest town: Andrews

Cherokee County, North Carolina

Cherokee County had 30,373 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 455.5 square miles of land. It ranks 71st of 100 in North Carolina by population and 52nd by land area.

Population
30,373
#71 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,435 in US
Area
455.5 sq mi
#52 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,251 in US
Density
67 / sq mi
#71 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,219 in US
Median household income
$53,926
#71 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,414 in US

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

Cherokee County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Cherokee County

Cherokee County population, land area and income

Cherokee County had 30,373 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 455.5 square miles of land. It ranks 71st of 100 in North Carolina by population and 52nd by land area. That works out to 66.7 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in North Carolina has 52,768 residents; Cherokee County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $53,926 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

30,373

3144th1st

1435th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

456 sq mi

3144th1st

2251st of 3,144 (US)

Density

66.7 / sq mi

3144th1st

1219th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$53,926

3143rd1st

2414th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

30,373

100th1st

71st of 100 (NC)

Land area

456 sq mi

100th1st

52nd of 100 (NC)

Density

66.7 / sq mi

100th1st

71st of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$53,926

100th1st

71st of 100 (NC)

How Cherokee County's population changed since 2020

Cherokee County gained 1,509 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 5.2%. That ranks 28th of 100 in North Carolina for growth. The median North Carolina county changed by +2.7%, and the state as a whole by +5.7%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Cherokee County recorded 1,121 births and 2,025 deaths, a natural change of -904. Net international migration added -17 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +2,513. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 2,513 people.

28.9k202029.2k202129.4k202230.0k202330.4k2024
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
1,121
Deaths
2,025
Net international migration
-17
Net domestic migration
+2,513
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+421

Where Cherokee County is

The Census internal point of Cherokee County is at 35.137200, -84.061400. It sits in UTM zone 16N. The map shades North Carolina's 100 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.

Scotland County: +1.4%Rockingham County: +2.5%Franklin County: +15.6%Caswell County: -0.5%Stokes County: +2.9%Granville County: +2.3%Edgecombe County: +0.7%Randolph County: +2.8%Alexander County: +0.8%Person County: +2.4%Cherokee County: +5.2%Ashe County: +2.5%Davidson County: +5.2%Cabarrus County: +7.8%Mecklenburg County: +8.1%Burke County: +1.5%Cumberland County: +0.4%Northampton County: -4.9%Buncombe County: +3.5%Wilson County: +0.8%Bladen County: +0.5%Pitt County: +4.1%Yancey County: +2.7%Stanly County: +7.4%Harnett County: +9.3%Wilkes County: +0.5%Tyrrell County: +8.8%Pamlico County: +1.9%Hoke County: +6.0%Transylvania County: +2.5%Carteret County: +3.8%Durham County: +6.5%Anson County: +1.8%Pender County: +15.6%Alamance County: +6.7%Polk County: +4.9%Lenoir County: +0.5%Washington County: -3.0%Avery County: -0.0%Hyde County: +1.5%Gates County: -1.4%Davie County: +5.8%Jackson County: +7.4%Montgomery County: +2.5%Martin County: -2.0%Pasquotank County: +2.9%Perquimans County: +3.4%Cleveland County: +2.3%Sampson County: +2.3%Catawba County: +3.8%Alleghany County: +4.5%Robeson County: +2.3%Macon County: +4.4%Clay County: +8.0%Haywood County: +1.3%Duplin County: +3.8%Henderson County: +3.6%Craven County: +2.6%Warren County: +2.6%Graham County: +1.7%Union County: +9.9%Wayne County: +2.2%Gaston County: +5.9%Guilford County: +3.7%Yadkin County: +2.0%Watauga County: +1.0%Rowan County: +4.4%Swain County: -1.1%Chatham County: +9.4%Bertie County: -4.4%Halifax County: -2.9%Forsyth County: +4.1%Onslow County: +3.8%Dare County: +3.1%Chowan County: +1.3%Brunswick County: +20.9%Johnston County: +14.9%Orange County: +6.4%Currituck County: +13.6%New Hanover County: +7.5%Richmond County: -1.7%Vance County: -0.5%Iredell County: +9.9%Lincoln County: +12.0%Caldwell County: +0.2%McDowell County: +1.6%Rutherford County: +1.9%Mitchell County: +0.9%Moore County: +8.1%Columbus County: -0.8%Lee County: +8.1%Greene County: +1.1%Madison County: +5.0%Camden County: +7.5%Hertford County: -12.0%Beaufort County: -0.3%Jones County: +3.5%Wake County: +9.0%Nash County: +3.0%Surry County: +0.2%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +0.5%
  2. < +2.3%
  3. < +3.7%
  4. < +7.4%
  5. ≥ +7.4%
no data

Orange pin: Cherokee County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
35.137200, -84.061400
DMS
35°08'13.92"N 84°03'41.04"W
UTM
16N 767743.7E 3892211.9N
Geohash
dnhpzhs35
Plus code
867Q4WPQ+VC

Towns in Cherokee County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Cherokee County, 3,455 people together, or 11% 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 Andrews with 1,762.

  1. 01Andrews1,762
  2. 02Murphy1,693
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Cherokee County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Cherokee County, including 4 across a state line. The most populous is Monroe County, TN, with 49,154 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 308.3 miles E of Cherokee County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Knoxville, TN (population 198,722), 57.9 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Athens, TN (population 15,050), 37.8 miles away.

Cherokee County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Cherokee County is 37039: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 039. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $53,926.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Cherokee County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 30,373. That is up 1,509 people (5.2%) from the July 2020 estimate of 28,864.

What is the FIPS code of Cherokee County?

37039. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (039) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Cherokee County?

Andrews, with 1,762 residents inside Cherokee County in 2024.

Which counties border Cherokee County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Monroe County, TN; Macon County, NC; Union County, GA; Fannin County, GA; Polk County, TN; Clay County, NC; Graham County, NC.

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.