• county
  • FIPS 40021
  • Largest town: Tahlequah

Cherokee County, Oklahoma

Cherokee County had 48,729 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 749.1 square miles of land. It ranks 19th of 77 in Oklahoma by population and 45th by land area.

Population
48,729
#19 of 77 in Oklahoma · #1,025 in US
Area
749.1 sq mi
#45 of 77 in Oklahoma · #1,177 in US
Density
65 / sq mi
#15 of 77 in Oklahoma · #1,238 in US
Median household income
$50,434
#55 of 77 in Oklahoma · #2,692 in US

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

Cherokee County within Oklahoma. Pin: Oklahoma City.

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Tools and pages that start from Cherokee County

Cherokee County population, land area and income

Cherokee County had 48,729 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 749.1 square miles of land. It ranks 19th of 77 in Oklahoma by population and 45th by land area. That works out to 65.0 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Oklahoma has 20,577 residents, so Cherokee County is 2.4 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $50,434 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

48,729

3144th1st

1025th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

749 sq mi

3144th1st

1177th of 3,144 (US)

Density

65.0 / sq mi

3144th1st

1238th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$50,434

3143rd1st

2692nd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Oklahoma (77)

Population

48,729

77th1st

19th of 77 (OK)

Land area

749 sq mi

77th1st

45th of 77 (OK)

Density

65.0 / sq mi

77th1st

15th of 77 (OK)

Median household income

$50,434

77th1st

55th of 77 (OK)

How Cherokee County's population changed since 2020

Cherokee County gained 1,637 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 3.5%. That ranks 13th of 77 in Oklahoma for growth. The median Oklahoma county changed by +0.8%, and the state as a whole by +3.3%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Cherokee County recorded 2,238 births and 2,662 deaths, a natural change of -424. Net international migration added +193 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +1,870. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 1,870 people.

47.1k202047.7k202148.1k202248.2k202348.7k2024
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
2,238
Deaths
2,662
Net international migration
+193
Net domestic migration
+1,870
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+556

Where Cherokee County is

The Census internal point of Cherokee County is at 35.904400, -94.996800. It sits in UTM zone 15N. The map shades Oklahoma's 77 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.

Kingfisher County: +4.2%Okfuskee County: +0.8%Creek County: +2.9%Carter County: +2.3%Hughes County: +0.2%Murray County: -0.9%Haskell County: +2.2%Cherokee County: +3.5%Grady County: +6.3%Canadian County: +16.9%Caddo County: -2.1%Garvin County: +1.9%Custer County: -0.6%Pushmataha County: +0.1%Mayes County: +2.8%Stephens County: +2.9%Dewey County: -4.6%Greer County: -1.1%Logan County: +8.3%Atoka County: +3.1%Nowata County: +2.5%Beckham County: -0.4%Cimarron County: -6.9%Harper County: -1.2%Cleveland County: +2.6%Texas County: -3.4%Marshall County: +5.3%Tulsa County: +3.4%McIntosh County: +4.0%Grant County: -1.3%Seminole County: -0.7%Garfield County: -1.1%Jackson County: -0.8%Blaine County: -1.5%Lincoln County: +4.4%Alfalfa County: +0.0%Jefferson County: +0.8%Okmulgee County: +1.1%Major County: -2.3%Noble County: -0.2%Oklahoma County: +2.3%Pawnee County: +3.5%Bryan County: +8.6%Payne County: +3.1%Adair County: +1.9%Harmon County: -6.5%Love County: +2.6%Craig County: +2.6%Rogers County: +6.3%Muskogee County: +0.8%Sequoyah County: +3.3%Delaware County: +3.4%Johnston County: +0.5%Pittsburg County: -0.9%Le Flore County: +3.4%McClain County: +15.6%Woodward County: -2.1%Ottawa County: +0.6%Choctaw County: -0.2%Cotton County: -0.6%Roger Mills County: -3.6%Washita County: -0.6%Coal County: +2.5%Pontotoc County: +0.6%Kiowa County: -2.8%Tillman County: -3.0%Ellis County: -3.9%Wagoner County: +12.1%Beaver County: -0.1%McCurtain County: -0.1%Kay County: -0.4%Pottawatomie County: +2.6%Osage County: +1.5%Comanche County: +0.2%Washington County: +2.8%Woods County: -0.2%Latimer County: +0.3%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.1%
  2. < +0.0%
  3. < +2.2%
  4. < +3.3%
  5. ≥ +3.3%
no data

Orange pin: Cherokee County internal point. Dark pin: Oklahoma City.

Internal point

Decimal
35.904400, -94.996800
DMS
35°54'15.84"N 94°59'48.48"W
UTM
15N 319804.7E 3975186.9N
Geohash
9ykkq21qq
Plus code
8677W233+Q7

Towns in Cherokee County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Cherokee County, 17,331 people together, or 36% 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 Tahlequah with 17,319.

  1. 01Tahlequah17,319
  2. 02Fort Gibson (part)12
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Cherokee County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Cherokee County. The most populous is Wagoner County, OK, with 91,257 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Oklahoma City and the nearest big city

Oklahoma City is 143.5 miles W of Cherokee County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Broken Arrow, OK (population 122,756), 44.8 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Tahlequah, OK (population 17,319), 1.1 miles away.

Cherokee County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Cherokee County is 40021: state code 40 for Oklahoma plus county code 021. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $50,434.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Cherokee County, Oklahoma?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 48,729. That is up 1,637 people (3.5%) from the July 2020 estimate of 47,092.

What is the FIPS code of Cherokee County?

40021. The first two digits (40) are Oklahoma; the last three (021) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Cherokee County?

Tahlequah, with 17,319 residents inside Cherokee County in 2024.

Which counties border Cherokee County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Wagoner County, OK; Muskogee County, OK; Delaware County, OK; Sequoyah County, OK; Mayes County, OK; Adair County, OK.

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.