County profile

Cherokee County

Georgia · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
281,032
Median household income
$108,115
People below poverty
7%
Median home value
$435,100

Income

The median income of households in Cherokee County, Georgia was $108,115. An estimated 3.2% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 18.4% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Cherokee County, Georgia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 3.2
$10,000 to $14,999 1.6
$15,000 to $24,999 3.9
$25,000 to $34,999 4.4
$35,000 to $49,999 6.9
$50,000 to $74,999 13.4
$75,000 to $99,999 12.2
$100,000 to $149,999 22.4
$150,000 to $199,999 13.6
$200,000 or more 18.4

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Cherokee County, Georgia in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 78685
Female 60897

An estimated 82.8% of households received earnings. An estimated 28.9% of households received Social Security and an estimated 25 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $27,378. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Cherokee County, Georgia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 82.8
Social Security 28.9
Retirement income 25
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 2.6
Cash public assistance income 1.1

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 7 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 7.7% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 6.9% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 6.8% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Cherokee County, Georgia in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 7
Children under 18 years below poverty 7.7
People 65 years old and over below poverty 6.9
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 6.8

In 2020-2024, 3.5 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 55.2% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 36.1% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 40.4% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Cherokee County, Georgia in 2020-2024, 89.6% had health insurance coverage and 10.4% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 75.8% and public coverage was 25%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 7.3%.


In 2020-2024, Cherokee County, Georgia had a total population of 281,032 - 141,883 (50.5%) females and 139,149 (49.5%) males. The median age was 40.2 years. An estimated 22.8% of the population was under 18 years, 31.6% was 19 to 44 years, 27.4% was 45 to 64 years, and 15.8 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Cherokee County, Georgia in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 7808 7324
5 to 9 8781 7855
10 to 14 9972 9699
15 to 19 9934 9415
20 to 24 8493 8033
25 to 29 8195 8103
30 to 34 8571 9018
35 to 39 9010 9727
40 to 44 10076 9535
45 to 49 9711 9920
50 to 54 10322 10262
55 to 59 9103 8824
60 to 64 9069 9770
65 to 69 7154 8578
70 to 74 5554 6134
75 to 79 4275 4443
80 to 84 1753 2703
85 and over 1368 2540

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 76.4% were White; 7.2% were Black or African American; 14.1% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 2.4% were Asian; 2.7% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 8.8% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 12.4% of the people in Cherokee County, Georgia were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 73.9% of the people in Cherokee County, Georgia were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 101,514 households in Cherokee County, Georgia. The average household size was 2.75 people.

Married-couple households made up 61% of the households in Cherokee County, Georgia while cohabiting couple households made up 4.9% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 20.9% of all households, while 13.2% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 8.2% of households were male householders living alone, and 11.1% were female householders living alone, for a total of 19.3% of all households.

In Cherokee County, Georgia, 34.8% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 29.9% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Cherokee County, Georgia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 61
Cohabiting Couples 4.9
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
13.2
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
20.9

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 59.6% of males and 55.2% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 29.8 24.1
Now married, except separated 59.6 55.2
Separated 0.9 1.4
Widowed 2.4 7.4
Divorced 7.4 11.9

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Cherokee County, Georgia, 4,587 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 21.7% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 89.7% of the people living in Cherokee County, Georgia were U.S. natives. 45.7% of the Cherokee County, Georgia population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 10.3% of Cherokee County, Georgia residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 42.7% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 65 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Cherokee County, Georgia come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Cherokee County, Georgia.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Cherokee County, Georgia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 55.9
Asia 17.1
Europe 14.8
Africa 7.8
Northern America 2.9
Oceania 1.5

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Cherokee County, Georgia in 2020-2024, 13.3 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 8.4% of people at least five years old; 5.8% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Cherokee County, Georgia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 8.4
Other Indo-European languages 2.9
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 1.2
Other languages 0.8

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 88.5 % of the people at least one year old living in Cherokee County, Georgia were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Cherokee County, Georgia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 88.5
Different house, same county 3.9
Different county, same state 4.3
Different state 2.8
Abroad 0.5

Education

In 2020-2024, 92.5 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 41.1% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 7.6% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Cherokee County, Georgia was 68,143 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 4,028 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 48,755. College or graduate school enrollment was 15,360.

Educational Attainment of People in Cherokee County, Georgia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 7.6
High school diploma or equivalency 22
Some college, no degree 20.8
Associate's degree 8.5
Bachelor's degree 28.2
Graduate or professional degree 13

Disability

In Cherokee County, Georgia, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 10.9 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 5.1% of people under 18 years old, to 8.3% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 29.3% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Cherokee County, Georgia, 66.2 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 31.5% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 84% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 10.2% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 5.7 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 125,043 84
Federal, state, or local government workers 15,192 10.2
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 8,539 5.7

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Cherokee County, Georgia worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Cherokee County, Georgia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 0.5
Construction 9.4
Manufacturing 8.4
Wholesale trade 3.1
Retail trade 12.2
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 4.8
Information 2.6
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 8
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 16.5
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 18.1
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 8.6
Other Services, except public administration 4.9
Public administration 2.9

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Cherokee County, Georgia in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 67,621 45.4
Service occupations 21,945 14.7
Sales and office occupations 33,046 22.2
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 11,744 7.9
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 14,520 9.8

Commuting to Work

An estimated 68% of Cherokee County, Georgia workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 7.9% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 31.3 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Cherokee County, Georgia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 68
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 7.9
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.2
Walked 0.6
Other means 1.4
Worked from home 21.9

In 2020-2024, Cherokee County, Georgia had a total of 106,407 housing units. Of these housing units, 84.9% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 12.2% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 2.9% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Cherokee County, Georgia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 84.9
Apartments in multi-unit structures 12.2
Mobile homes 2.9
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

22.9% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 1.4% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Cherokee County, Georgia was 6.7 rooms, and of these housing units 81.7% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Cherokee County, Georgia had 101,514 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 4,893 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 77.3% while renters occupied 22.7%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.78 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.63.

4.1% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 5% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 2.4% and another 28.4% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Cherokee County, Georgia:

House Heating Fuel Used in Cherokee County, Georgia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 66.3
Electricity 32.9
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.1
All other fuels 0.6
No fuel used 0.1

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Cherokee County, Georgia was $435,100.

Of the owner-occupied households, 70.4 % had a mortgage. 29.6% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $2,032 and for owners without a mortgage it was $616.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Cherokee County, Georgia was $1,799. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.