Cherokee, North Carolina Population 2024

1,515

Cherokee is a CDP located in Jackson County and Swain County North Carolina. Cherokee has a 2024 population of 1,515. Cherokee is currently declining at a rate of -2.88% annually and its population has decreased by -28.54% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 2,120 in 2020.

The average household income in Cherokee is $44,573 with a poverty rate of 27.78%. The median age in Cherokee is 45.8 years: 47.2 years for males, and 43.5 years for females.

Cherokee Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Cherokee was:

  • Native American: 79.61%
  • White: 9.6%
  • Two or more races: 7.79%
  • Black or African American: 1.93%
  • Other race: 1.06%
  • Asian: 0%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0%
Land Area (mi²)
12.1 sq mi
Density (mi²)
125.50/sq mi
Growth Since 2020
-28.54% (-605)
The current population of Cherokee, North Carolina is 1,515 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates (released May 2024). The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 2,120.

Population by Race

Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
Native American1,27779.61%
White1549.6%
Two or more races1257.79%
Black or African American311.93%
Other race171.06%
Asian00%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander00%

Native American

White

Two or more races

Black or African American

Other race

Asian

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Cherokee Population by Race

Cherokee Population Pyramid 2024

Cherokee Median Age

45.8

Total

47.2

Male

43.5

Female

Cherokee Adults

There are 1,332 adults, (389 of whom are seniors) in Cherokee.

Cherokee Age Dependency

70.1

Age Dependency Ratio

41.3

Old Age Dependency Ratio

28.8

Child Dependency Ratio

Cherokee Sex Ratio

Female79249.38%
Male81250.62%

Cherokee Population by Age

Cherokee Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All7492.1159.840.2
Non Family3091.1358.341.7
Married2522.4861.938.1
Female1323.6362.937.1
Male562.2951.848.2

2.7

Average Family Size

2.11

Average Household Size

59.8%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Cherokee Households and Families

Male

Female

Education Attained
Count
Percentage
9th to 12th Grade16114.99%
Associates Degree171.58%
Bachelors Degree676.24%
Graduate Degree11710.89%
High School Graduate40938.08%
Less Than 9th Grade131.21%
Some College29027%

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Cherokee Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Cherokee Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

Race
Total
High School
Bachelors
Native American85471291
White11110541
2+ Races806534
Hispanic595942
Black1100

The highest rate of high school graduation is among hispanic people with a rate of 100%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among hispanic people with a rate of 71.19%.

Cherokee Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

Name
Average
Male
Female
Bachelors Degree$0$0$0
Graduate Degree$0$0$17,917
High School Graduate$34,308$42,731$22,266
Less Than 9th Grade$0$0$0
Overall$33,049$34,461$21,719
Some College$0$46,563$0

$33,049

Average Earnings

$34,461

Average Male

$21,719

Average Female

Cherokee Earnings by Educational Attainment

Cherokee Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Cherokee Language

85.73% of Cherokee residents speak only English, while 14.27% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Other languages, which is spoken by 11.41% of the population.

Cherokee Language

Cherokee Poverty by Race

rate

Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
Native1,27733826.47%
Hispanic915964.84%
Multiple1063230.19%
White1341914.18%
Other1717100%
Black1010100%

27.78%

Overall Poverty Rate

22.19%

Male Poverty Rate

33.55%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Cherokee

The race most likely to be in poverty in Cherokee is Black, with 100% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Cherokee is White, with 14.18% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 0%. Among those working part-time, it was 11.82%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 46.74%.

Cherokee Poverty

rate

Rate
Poverty
Bachelors or Greater61.41%
Some College30.29%
Less Than 9th Grade16.56%
High School9.05%

Cherokee Poverty Rate by Education

rate

Rate
Poverty
Male Employed11.92%
Male Unemployed0%
Female Employed0%
Female Unemployed0%

Cherokee Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Cherokee Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

Name
Median
Mean
Families$48,906$51,120
Households$43,655$44,573
Married Families$61,983$-999,999,999
Non Families$37,604$35,044

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Cherokee Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

42.2%

Overall Marriage Rate

49.0%

Male Marriage Rate

35.3%

Female Marriage Rate

Cherokee Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Cherokee Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is 45-54, while the female age group most likely to be married is 55-64.

Cherokee Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Cherokee Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

105

Number of Veterans

72

Male Veterans

33

Female Veterans

War
Veterans
Vietnam30
First Gulf War18
Second Gulf War15
Korea13
World War II0

Cherokee Veterans by War

count

Age Group
Veterans
75+72
35 to 5418
18 to 3415
55 to 640
65 to 740

Cherokee Veterans by Age

count

Name
Veterans
% of Total
Native American760.07314725697786333
2+ Races150.15789473684210525
Hispanic150.16483516483516483
White140.09210526315789473

Cherokee Veterans by Race

Cherokee Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

13.33%

Veteran Poverty Rate

68.57%

Veteran Disability Rate

Cherokee Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

47.1%

Labor Force Participation

46.3%

Employment Rate

1.6%

Unemployment Rate

Cherokee Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Cherokee Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Cherokee Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

87.41%

Born in Cherokee

97.82%

Native Born

2.18%

Foreign Born

1.06%

Non Citizen

1.12%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

97.82% of Cherokee residents were born in the United States, with 87.41% having been born in North Carolina. 1.06% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Cherokee Place of Birth

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change
Year
Population
Growth
Change
20241,515-45-2.88%
20231,560-44-2.74%
20221,604-455-22.1%
20212,059-61-2.88%
20202,120743.62%
20192,046-117-5.41%
20182,163-146-6.32%
20172,30929614.7%
20162,013-144-6.68%
20152,157-553-20.41%
20142,710-6-0.22%
20132,716-490-15.28%
20123,206-154-4.58%
20113,3601,22257.16%
20102,13800%

Cherokee Population by Year