Murphy

County:: Cherokee County
County Seat:: No
Area (mi²):: 2.571
State:: North Carolina

Murphy is a town located in Cherokee County, North Carolina. Murphy has a 2025 population of 1,688. Murphy is currently growing at a rate of 0.96% annually and its population has increased by 4.84% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 1,610 in 2020.

The average household income in Murphy is $57,552 with a poverty rate of 20.6%.The median age in Murphy is 37.8 years: 28 years for males, and 46 years for females.

Demographics

The racial composition of Murphy includes 81.12% White, 5.83% Black or African American, and smaller percentages for Native American, other race, Asian and multiracial populations.

Population by Race

Race	Population	Percentage (of total)
White	1,100	81.12%
Two or more races	140	10.32%
Black or African American	79	5.83%
Native American	21	1.55%
Other race	12	0.88%
Asian	4	0.29%

Murphy Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

Never Married

Economics and Income Statistics

Murphy's average per capita income is $36,241. Household income levels show a median of $36,989. The poverty rate stands at 20.6%.

Families: A family includes the owner or renter of the home along with everyone related to them - whether through birth, marriage, or adoption. This includes relatives like spouses, children, parents, siblings, grandparents, and any other family members.

Households: A household includes all the people who occupy a housing unit (such as a house or apartment) as their usual place of residence.

Non Families: A nonfamily household is either someone living alone or when the owner/renter lives with people they aren't related to, like roommates.

Name	Median	Mean
Married Families	$80,341	-
Families	$66,250	$87,874
Households	$36,989	$57,552
Non Families	$35,758	$40,181

$36,241

Average Income

$36,989

Median Household Income

20.6%

Poverty Rate