Cherokee County, Oklahoma Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Cherokee County, OK Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 74% of counties in Oklahoma
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 84% of counties in Oklahoma
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D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 86% of counties in Oklahoma
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Cherokee County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 47,942 | 4,028,385 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 61.8 | 57.6 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.08% | 0.48% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.2 | 38.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 18,697 | 1,561,116 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Cherokee County grew by 6.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 47,942 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Cherokee County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 26.6% of residents. That is 4.0 points above Oklahoma as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 12,752 26.6% +4.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 9,027 18.8% -2.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 8,508 17.7% -0.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 8,270 17.2% +0.4 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Oklahoma, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.1% of the people living in Cherokee County and men 48.9%.
- Women 51.1% Oklahoma 50.3%
- Men 48.9% Oklahoma 49.7%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Cherokee County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Cherokee County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Cherokee County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $53,916 | $65,606 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.29% | 3.94% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.1% | 4.9% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Cherokee County is about 18% lower than in Oklahoma.
Housing
| Metric | Cherokee County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $138,128 | $133,462 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $831 | $1,014 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 65.7% | 65.8% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Cherokee County is about 13.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $831 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Cherokee County spend about 35 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 148 hours, about 6.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Cherokee County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.7 | 19.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 35.4 | 37.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 148 | 158 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,577 | $4,901 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.8% | 9.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,299 | 5,635 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 929 | 941 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Oklahoma:
Cimarron County (4.8 min), Woods County (8.5 min), Harmon County (8.8 min).
Slowest:
Cotton County (30.4 min), Logan County (28.5 min), Lincoln County (28.0 min).
The average commute time in Cherokee County is 18 minutes, shorter than the 19 minutes in Oklahoma.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Cherokee County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Cherokee County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24.1% | 24.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.47 | 2.50 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Oklahoma:
Payne County (0.3), Cleveland County (0.3), Oklahoma County (0.3).
Lowest:
Adair County (0.2), Okfuskee County (0.2), Greer County (0.2).
Health
Cherokee County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Cherokee County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.8 | 76.5 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 20.9% | 20.3% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 24.4% | 22.6% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Oklahoma:
Cleveland County (0.8), Canadian County (0.8), Woods County (0.8).
Lowest:
Adair County (0.7), McIntosh County (0.7), Choctaw County (0.7).
Cherokee County, OK Compared With Nearby Counties
Cherokee County, OK is typical in size for this group, 47,942 residents against a local median of 53,149, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. The measure that sets Cherokee County, OK apart most is median home price: $138,128, 21% below the local median of $175,208.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 17.7 min against a local median of 21.7 min, 18% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 18% below the local median it puts Cherokee County, OK at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $116,039 on median home price, so Cherokee County, OK sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Cherokee County, OK has the 4th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee County, OK | 47,942 | $53,916 #3/5 | $138,128 #4/5 | 17.7 min #2/5 |
| Mayes County, OK | 39,594 | $60,268 | $180,565 | 21.4 min |
| Muskogee County, OK | 66,442 | $53,440 | $133,335 | 17.3 min |
| Sequoyah County, OK | 39,855 | $51,070 | $169,851 | 22.0 min |
| Wagoner County, OK | 86,605 | $81,531 | $249,373 | 25.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Cherokee County, Oklahoma.
How big is Cherokee County, Oklahoma by population?
About 47,942 people live in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, in 18,697 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 38.2, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Cherokee County, Oklahoma mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Cherokee County, Oklahoma has 62 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Is Cherokee County, Oklahoma an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.6 times the median household income ($138,128 against $53,916), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $831 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Cherokee County, Oklahoma have a college degree?
24.1% of adults in Cherokee County, Oklahoma hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 4), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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