Cherokee County, South Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Cherokee County, SC 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 average
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 76% of counties in South Carolina
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 76% of counties in South Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Cherokee County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 56,649 | 5,295,781 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 142.6 | 165.5 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.07% | 1.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.5 | 40.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 22,063 | 2,118,015 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Cherokee County grew by 4.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 56,649 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Cherokee County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 21.2% of residents. That is about the same share as South Carolina.
- Gen Z 13–28 11,992 21.2% on par
- Millennials 29–44 11,449 20.2% -0.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 11,719 20.7% +0.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 10,349 18.3% -0.2 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 South Carolina, 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% South Carolina 51.2%
- Men 48.9% South Carolina 48.8%
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 | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $50,370 | $69,383 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.46% | 5.01% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.2% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Cherokee County is about 27% lower than in South Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Cherokee County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $429,025 | $239,609 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $868 | $1,179 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 73.8% | 71.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Cherokee County is about 41.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $868 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Cherokee County spend about 43 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 181 hours, about 7.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Cherokee County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.7 | 22.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 43.4 | 44.5 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 181 | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,603 | $5,753 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 5.0% | 11.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,049 | 9,507 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 982 | 1,499 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
South Carolina:
Greenwood County (16.5 min), Sumter County (18.2 min), Florence County (18.3 min).
Slowest:
McCormick County (33.9 min), Fairfield County (30.8 min), Chester County (30.6 min).
The average commute time in Cherokee County is about the same as in South Carolina.
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 F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Cherokee County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.0% | 28.2% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.52 | 2.44 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
South Carolina:
Charleston County (0.4), Beaufort County (0.3), Richland County (0.3).
Lowest:
Allendale County (0.1), Marlboro County (0.2), Chesterfield County (0.2).
Health
Cherokee County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Cherokee County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.2 | 75.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 20.1% | 19.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.7% | 21.5% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
South Carolina:
Beaufort County (0.8), Charleston County (0.8), Dorchester County (0.8).
Lowest:
Dillon County (0.8), Allendale County (0.8), Marlboro County (0.8).
Cherokee County, SC Compared With Nearby Counties
Cherokee County, SC is the 5th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 56,649 residents against a local median of 100,962. Cherokee County, SC's median home price, at $429,025, runs 155% above the $168,547 typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread $186,265 on median home price, so Cherokee County, SC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Cherokee County, SC has the highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee County, SC | 56,649 | $50,370 #5/6 | $429,025 #1/6 | 21.7 min #2/6 |
| Cleveland County, NC | 100,962 | $58,567 | $104,677 | 21.3 min |
| Union County, SC | 26,885 | $41,432 | $189,062 | 22.0 min |
| Spartanburg County, SC | 347,752 | $66,222 | $158,720 | 22.2 min |
| York County, SC | 293,716 | $90,058 | $168,547 | 23.4 min |
| Rutherford County, NC | 64,922 | $51,879 | $290,943 | 21.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Cherokee County, South Carolina.
How big is Cherokee County, South Carolina by population?
About 56,649 people live in Cherokee County, South Carolina, in 22,063 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 40.5, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
Is Cherokee County, South Carolina mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Cherokee County, South Carolina has 143 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 1.6 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Cherokee County, South Carolina an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 8.5 times the median household income ($429,025 against $50,370), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $868 a month takes about 21% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Cherokee County, South Carolina?
16.0% of adults in Cherokee County, South Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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