City · Cherokee County, Iowa

Cherokee, Iowa

Cherokee is a city in Cherokee County, Iowa. It has 5,154 residents. Cherokee, Iowa has a quality-of-life score of 70 out of 100 (high), ranking #4,645 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Iowa it ranks #204 of 281 cities and towns. It ranks best on property crime rate (low), average commute time (low) and public libraries (high). It ranks worst on gyms and fitness centers (low), dentists (low) and adult obesity (high).

70High

Quality-of-life score: #4,645 of 15,651 cities and towns
Iowa: #204 of 281 in IA
Population: 5,154 (2020-2024)
Land area: 7 mi²
Density: 754.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 1913080

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety95#786/15,637
Economy33#10,482/15,631
Housing93#1,015/14,977
Health42#9,088/15,609
Healthcare33#10,515/15,650
Environment83#2,675/15,453
Education58#6,609/15,649
Infrastructure34#10,383/15,650
Community80#3,079/15,651
Leisure & amenities68#4,982/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Cherokee, Iowa ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Cherokee County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Property crime rate · low179 /100k
99/100Iowa 1,172 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCherokee County value
Average commute time · low12.4 min
99/100Iowa 19.8 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Public libraries · high5.2 /10k
99/100Iowa 1.8 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesCherokee County value
Social associations · high20.7 /10k
98/100Iowa 14.3 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCherokee County value
Violent crime rate · low53 /100k
97/100Iowa 234 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCherokee County value
Mammography screening · high57.0%
96/100Iowa 57.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCherokee County value

Weaknesses

Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Iowa 1.2 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCherokee County value
Dentists · low26 /100k
8/100Iowa 73 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCherokee County value
Adult obesity · high43.2%
9/100Iowa 39.7%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Distance to an Amtrak station · high105 mi
9/100Iowa 60 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauCherokee County value
Hospital quality rating · low2.0
9/100Iowa 3.2United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesCherokee County value
Mental health care shortage · high18.0
11/100Iowa 10.1United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationCherokee County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

New homes permittedImproving
0.4 /1k (2021) → 8.7 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+2,144%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
30.6% (2015-2019) → 53.5% (2020-2024)
+23 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateWorsening
21.8% (2015-2019) → 29.7% (2020-2024)
+7.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$46,675 (2015-2019) → $61,750 (2020-2024)
+32%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
26.2% (2015-2019) → 32.6% (2020-2024)
+6.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
79.8% (2015-2019) → 85.4% (2020-2024)
+5.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Cherokee, Iowa improved on 3 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Property tax−0.7 points1.62% → 0.93%
Household income+32%$46,675 → $61,750
Broadband+5.6 points79.8% → 85.4%

Declined1

Rent burden+23 points30.6% → 53.5%

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Cherokee, Iowa between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	13.8 min2015-2019	12.4 min2020-2024	−1.3 min	Within the margin of error	64%
Bachelor's degree or higher	21.4%2015-2019	24.6%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Broadband subscriptions	79.8%2015-2019	85.4%2020-2024	+5.6 points	Improved	35%
Child poverty rate	21.8%2015-2019	29.7%2020-2024	+7.9 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Effective property tax rate	1.62%2015-2019	0.93%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Improved	96%
High school diploma or higher	91.7%2015-2019	92.3%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	41%
Home price to income ratio	1.9×2015-2019	2.2×2020-2024	+0.3×	Within the margin of error	63%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4422015-2019	0.4762020-2024	+0.034	Within the margin of error	24%
Median household income	$46,6752015-2019	$61,7502020-2024	+32%	Improved	60%
Poverty rate	17.3%2015-2019	18.5%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	33%
Rent as share of income	26.2%2015-2019	32.6%2020-2024	+6.4 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Rent-burdened households	30.6%2015-2019	53.5%2020-2024	+23 points	Declined	6%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.5%2015-2019	8.8%2020-2024	+2.3 points	Within the margin of error	23%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Cherokee, Iowa five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Cherokee, Iowa in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Cherokee, Iowa itself moved −11.3 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

5,154 residents (±38)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

2,289 households (±171)

Cherokee, Iowa
Iowa share

Under $25k21%†484
$25k–50k22%†496
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

2,289 households (±171)

Cherokee, Iowa
Iowa share

Own68%1,551
Rent32%738

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

2,554 workers (±222)

Cherokee, Iowa
Iowa share

Drive alone79%2,023
Carpool7.6%†194
Public transit1.7%†44

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Cherokee County, the county holding most of Cherokee's residents.

Cherokee County has 340 employer establishments, 293 for every 10,000 residents (1.18× the US rate of 248; 1.13× Iowa's), with 4,505 paid employees at an average annual pay of $45,103. The Census Bureau also counts 825 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 340; 825 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 293; US 248 · Iowa 259
Paid employees: 4,505
Average annual pay: $45,103; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Cherokee County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	23	19.8	1.28×More than typical	140	$67,943	45
Truck transportation	22	19	3.75×More than typical	58	$48,500	68
Religious organizations	21	18.1	3.27×More than typical	72	$16,139	—
Restaurants and other eating places	19	16.4	0.89×About typical	256	$16,254	—
Construction of buildings	16	13.8	1.83×More than typical	53	$58,736	30
Ambulatory health care services	15	12.9	0.62×Fewer than typical	134	$68,119	35
Building equipment contractors	11	9.5	1.58×More than typical	45	$45,378	3
Limited-service restaurants	11	9.5	1.18×About typical	165	$15,709	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	9	7.8	1.54×Too few to compare	36	$33,972	24
Banks and credit unions	9	7.8	2.40×Too few to compare	99	$69,677	—
Offices of other health practitioners	9	7.8	1.28×Too few to compare	38	$47,237	13
Electrical contractors and wiring installation	8	6.9	2.79×Too few to compare	26	$42,231	—

Rank places for an industry Open Cherokee County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 11,589 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $19.1K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Cherokee, Iowa: $3.71 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $19.1K; +19% vs FY2025
Per resident: $3.71; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of Veterans Affairs$19.7K100%
Forest Service$1,2496.5%

Top recipients

CHEROKEE CARE, LLC$19.7K100%
RJ THOMAS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, INC.$1,2496.5%
COMPOSTING SME, LLC-$88.580.0%
NW IOWA YES CENTER-$1,7410.0%

Spending by fiscal year

23.9KFY2017
20.1KFY2018
24.3KFY2019
21.7KFY2020
41.5KFY2021
29.5KFY2022
33.2KFY2023
23.1KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) · 6231$19.7K100%
Steel product manufacturing from purchased steel · 3312$1,2496.5%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Cherokee, Iowa, so they do not add up across cities.

Cherokee, Iowa's figures are part of those of Cherokee County, IA ($418.1K in FY2026), never added to them: 4.6% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Cherokee is mostly in Cherokee County.

See federal money in Cherokee County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Cherokee, Iowa is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Randy FeenstraR-IA-4 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 1.6%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Cherokee County92100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Cherokee County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/1913080

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends