County · South Carolina

Cherokee County, South Carolina

Cherokee County, South Carolina has a quality-of-life score of 19 out of 100 (very low), ranking #2,559 of 3,143 US counties. Within South Carolina it ranks #28 of 46 counties. It ranks best on comfortable days (high), child care cost burden (low) and social associations (high). It ranks worst on job growth (low), income adjusted for local prices (low) and homicide rate (high).

19Very low

Quality-of-life score: #2,559 of 3,143 counties
South Carolina: #28 of 46 in SC
Population: 58,275 (2025)
Land area: 393 mi²
Density: 148.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 45021

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 78 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map Federal contracts here

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US counties.

Safety8#2,836/3,096
Economy12#2,766/3,143
Housing56#1,380/3,140
Health16#2,629/3,144
Healthcare11#2,794/3,143
Environment61#1,222/3,108
Education15#2,675/3,144
Infrastructure30#2,213/3,144
Community52#1,502/3,144
Leisure & amenities28#2,278/3,143

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Cherokee County, South Carolina ranks highest and lowest among US counties (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Comfortable days · high31.6%
91/100South Carolina 31.6%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Child care cost burden · low20.8%
88/100South Carolina 28.4%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Social associations · high16.4 /10k
85/100South Carolina 11.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
New homes permitted · high6.3 /1k
85/100South Carolina 8.5 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Distance to an airport · low33 mi
81/100South Carolina 24 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau
Distance to an Amtrak station · low18 mi
80/100South Carolina 18 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau

Weaknesses

Job growth · low-4.5%
7/100South Carolina 0.7%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data
Income adjusted for local prices · low$50,424
8/100South Carolina $64,828United States $73,2042024U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Homicide rate · high9.4 /100k
9/100South Carolina 8.4 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional data
Unemployment rate · high5.8%
9/100South Carolina 4.5%United States 4.3%2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPartial year
Life expectancy · low71.2 yrs
10/100South Carolina 75.1 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Premature death · high13,935 /100k
11/100South Carolina 10,517 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
10% (2021) → 74% (Nov 2025–Oct 2026)
+64 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
New homes permittedImproving
3.1 /1k (2021) → 6.3 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+104%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Drinking water violationsImproving
1 (2020) → 0 (2024)
−100%4 years
Flu vaccinationsWorsening
49.0% (2019) → 30.0% (2023)
−19 pts4 yearsUS 48.0% → 44.0%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
65.5% (2015-2019) → 80.7% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Homicide rateWorsening
5.8 /100k (2021) → 9.4 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+62%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k

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 County, South Carolina improved on 10 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 21 moved within the margin of error and 1 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among counties: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2020 with 2025); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved10

Broadband+15 points65.5% → 80.7%
Weekly wage+30%$747 → $969
Bachelor's++4.2 points14.2% → 18.4%
Violent crime−30%358 /100k → 251 /100k
Property crime−43%2,854 /100k → 1,635 /100k

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Cherokee County, South Carolina between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.8 /10k2020	2.4 /10k2025	−16%	Within the margin of error	16%
Average commute time	23.2 min2015-2019	25.1 min2020-2024	+1.9 min	Within the margin of error	22%
Average weekly wage	$7472020	$9692025	+30%	Improved	83%
Bachelor's degree or higher	14.2%2015-2019	18.4%2020-2024	+4.2 points	Improved	75%
Broadband subscriptions	65.5%2015-2019	80.7%2020-2024	+15 points	Improved	81%
Child poverty rate	22.6%2019	22.1%2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	33%
Distance to an airport	33 mi2020	33 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	20.8 /100k2020	28.2 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	+36%	Within the margin of error	9%
Effective property tax rate	0.47%2015-2019	0.50%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Firearm deaths	16.1 /100k2020	22.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+42%	Within the margin of error	9%
Grocery stores	1.4 /10k2020	1.2 /10k2025	−16%	Within the margin of error	22%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.9 /10k2020	0.9 /10k2025	−3.5%	Within the margin of error	35%
High school diploma or higher	80.3%2015-2019	85.2%2020-2024	+4.9 points	Within the margin of error	89%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	2.8×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	83%
Homicide rate	10.7 /100k2020	9.4 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−12%	Within the margin of error	33%
Income adjusted for local prices	$41,1692019	$50,4242024	+22%	Improved	6%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4782015-2019	0.4552020-2024	−0.023	Within the margin of error	84%
Median household income	$46,9052019	$57,0702024	+22%	Improved	32%
New business applications	8.0 /1k2020	11.8 /1k2025	+48%	Improved	54%
Pharmacies	1.2 /10k2020	1.4 /10k2025	+10%	Within the margin of error	89%
Poverty rate	16.0%2019	16.4%2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Property crime rate	2,854 /100k2020	1,635 /100k2025	−43%	Improved	62%
Public libraries	0.5 /10k2019	0.5 /10k2024	−0.9%	Within the margin of error	50%
Rent as share of income	31.3%2015-2019	28.3%2020-2024	−3 points	Within the margin of error	83%
Rent-burdened households	52.8%2015-2019	45.7%2020-2024	−7.2 points	Within the margin of error	84%
Restaurants and bars	6.2 /10k2020	6.2 /10k2025	−0.8%	Within the margin of error	47%
Students per teacher	14.1×2019	13.4×2024	−0.8×	Improved	53%
Suicide rate	19.6 /100k2020	28.2 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+44%	Within the margin of error	7%
Traffic deaths	26.3 /100k2015-2019	30.0 /100k2020-2024	+14%	Within the margin of error	38%
Unemployment rate	8.0%2020	5.8%2025	−2.2 points	Improved	41%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	13.7%2019	12.1%2024	−1.6 points	Within the margin of error	62%
Violent crime rate	358 /100k2020	251 /100k2025	−30%	Improved	68%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 2303 counties that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Small Area Health Insurance Estimates; Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Common Core of Data; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 3144 counties 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.

Counties like Cherokee County, South Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Cherokee County, South Carolina 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 County, South Carolina itself moved −0.7 points in standing on average over the same 32 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

56,647 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69
50–59
40–49
30–39
20–29
10–19
Under 10

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 60–69 men (+0.9 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

56,647 residents

Cherokee County, South Carolina
South Carolina share

White70%39,486
Black19%10,574
Hispanic or Latino5.5%3,137

Education

38,809 residents (±104)

Cherokee County, South Carolina
South Carolina share

No high school diploma15%5,738
High school or GED38%14,692
Some college19%7,507

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

22,063 households (±448)

Cherokee County, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $25k24%5,279
$25k–50k26%5,695
$50k–75k17%3,798
$75k–100k13%2,870
$100k–150k12%2,679
$150k–200k4.4%979
$200k or more3.5%763

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−10.5 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

22,063 households (±448)

Cherokee County, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Own74%16,290
Rent26%5,773

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+4.9 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

5,185 households (±489)

Cherokee County, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $75036%1,885
$750–1,00036%1,862
$1,000–1,50025%1,300

Home values

16,290 homes (±571)

Cherokee County, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $150k51%8,366
$150k–250k26%4,180
$250k–400k16%2,585

Age of homes

25,150 homes (±46)

Cherokee County, South Carolina
South Carolina share

2010 or later11%2,656
2000–200914%3,636
1980–199931%7,680

Size of homes

25,150 homes (±46)

Cherokee County, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Studio2.1%†517
1 bedroom5.7%1,445
2 bedrooms28%7,036

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

23,507 workers (±914)

Cherokee County, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Drive alone85%19,954
Carpool7.8%1,824
Public transit0.3%†75
Walk0.9%†203
Bike0.0%†7
Work from home5.0%†1,185
Other1.1%†259

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Carpool (−4.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

22,322 workers (±931)

Cherokee County, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under 15 min30%6,668
15–29 min35%7,734
30–44 min21%4,715

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Gaffney, SC

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.

Cherokee County has 935 employer establishments, 164 for every 10,000 residents (0.66× the US rate of 248; 0.72× South Carolina's), with 17,983 paid employees at an average annual pay of $45,331. The Census Bureau also counts 3,471 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 935; 3,471 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 164; US 248 · South Carolina 228
Paid employees: 17,983
Average annual pay: $45,331; US $68,342

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

Religious organizations	88	15.4	2.78×More than typical	397	$17,207	—
Restaurants and other eating places	71	12.5	0.68×Fewer than typical	1,448	$18,157	28
Specialty trade contractors	63	11.1	0.71×Fewer than typical	651	$66,613	255
Ambulatory health care services	44	7.7	0.37×Fewer than typical	332	$59,033	97
Gasoline stations	40	7	2.17×More than typical	479	$28,572	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	39	6.8	1.36×More than typical	263	$29,989	88
Full-service restaurants	34	6	0.78×Fewer than typical	658	$17,830	20
Limited-service restaurants	34	6	0.74×Fewer than typical	757	$18,192	5
Clothing and accessories stores	33	5.8	1.60×More than typical	510	$16,425	39
Building equipment contractors	30	5.3	0.88×About typical	235	$66,885	65
Lessors of real estate	27	4.7	0.38×Fewer than typical	52	$53,635	210
Construction of buildings	20	3.5	0.46×Fewer than typical	110	$58,327	114

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 56,966 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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $513.5K on contracts performed in Cherokee County, South Carolina: $8.81 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $513.5K; −57% vs FY2025
Per resident: $8.81; US $2,007
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 5.7%; US 8.7%

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

Top buying agencies

Defense Logistics Agency$302K59%
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service$148K

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $356M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Cherokee County, South Carolina: $6,110 per resident (US $12,975).

Assistance · FY2026: $356M; −6.6% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,110; US $12,975
Loan face value: $417.1M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.6%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$221.4M62%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$55.5M16%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$28.4M8.0%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$22.5M6.3%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$12.5M3.5%
64.110 · Veterans Dependency and Indemnity Compensation for Service-Connected Death$2.9M0.8%
10.427 · Rural Rental Assistance Payments$2.1M0.6%
14.195 · Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA)$1.9M0.5%

Top recipients (organizations)

SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$2.4M0.7%
COLUMBIA, SC
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF CITY OF GAFFNEY$2M0.6%
GAFFNEY, SC
CV HOUSING PARTNERS, LP$1.4M0.4%
GAFFNEY, SC
CHESTNUT HILLS SC LLC$600.7K0.2%
BLACKSBURG, SC
REDWOOD VILLAGE APARTMENTS, A LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$311.9M88%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$33.2M9.3%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$2.4M0.7%
Department of Transportation
Rural Housing Service$2.1M0.6%
Department of Agriculture
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing

Assistance by fiscal year

326.9MFY2021
357.7MFY2022
373.8MFY2023
377.5MFY2024
381.3MFY2025
356MFY2026

County aggregates

97%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 8, 2026, loaded Oct 8, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Explore grants in Cherokee County, South Carolina

Public money & outcomes

Federal money per resident by fiscal year next to how the place changed, and, when its money jumped, how it compares with similar counties. A comparison, not cause and effect.

How Cherokee County, South Carolina compares: the federal money it received per resident, and how jobs, income, housing and other outcomes moved, each next to the United States.

Money per resident

By federal fiscal year (October to September, named by the year it ends), obligations per resident. A year with no record counts as $0.

Cherokee County, South Carolina
United States
Year its money jumped
partial year

Federal contractsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Cherokee County, South Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Cherokee County, South Carolina	United States
FY2017	$30.12	$1,436
FY2018	$25.11	$1,552
FY2019	$29.67	$1,654
FY2020	$25.95	$1,880
FY2021	$23.68	$1,810
FY2022	$22.43	$1,917
FY2023	$23.27	$2,079
FY2024	$16.19	$2,047
FY2025	$20.40	$2,165
FY2026	$8.81 (partial year)	$1,925
FY2027	$0 (partial year)	—

Construction contractsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Cherokee County, South Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Cherokee County, South Carolina	United States
FY2017	$18.98	$93.28
FY2018	$8.40	$105
FY2019	$7.80	$128
FY2020	$6.19	$145
FY2021	$8.09	$117

Contracts and grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Cherokee County, South Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Cherokee County, South Carolina	United States
FY2021	$519	$5,748
FY2022	$983	$5,221
FY2023	$883	$5,364
FY2024	$602	$5,501
FY2025	$202	$5,732
FY2026

Transportation grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Cherokee County, South Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Cherokee County, South Carolina	United States
FY2021	$285	$298
FY2022	$829	$357
FY2023	$759	$301
FY2024	$527	$319
FY2025	$122	$360
FY2026

Housing assistanceUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Cherokee County, South Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Cherokee County, South Carolina	United States
FY2021	$87.60	$239
FY2022	$103	$185
FY2023	$111	$229
FY2024	$115	$229
FY2025	$111	$249
FY2026	$104

HHS grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Cherokee County, South Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Cherokee County, South Carolina	United States
FY2021	$2.65	$2,304
FY2022	$0	$2,197
FY2023	-$0.33	$2,274
FY2024	$0	$2,267
FY2025	$0	$2,397
FY2026

SBA lending volumeUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Cherokee County, South Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Cherokee County, South Carolina	United States
FY2021	$647	$1,186
FY2022	$118	$465
FY2023	$26.22	$76.52
FY2024	$30.16	$120
FY2025	$93.99	$148
FY2026	$14.30

Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)

How outcomes moved

Calendar years. Charts share the same years as the money above. Levels are shown as percent change since 2016; rates are shown as the rate itself.

Cherokee County, South Carolina
United States
Years with money loaded
Year its money jumped

Job growthpercent

Table view

Job growth, Cherokee County, South Carolina and the United States, by year
Calendar years	Cherokee County, South Carolina	United States
2014	1.9%

When its money jumped

A county-year with at least 10,000 residents whose money per resident is at least twice its earlier average counts as a jump. Each is compared with up to five similar counties in the same region whose money did not jump.

Transportation grants · FY2022

$829 per resident in FY2022, against an earlier average of $285 (2.9× that).

Compared with 8 similar counties

Cherokee County, South Carolina
Comparison counties (average)
Range of comparison counties

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Business Formation Statistics, Building Permits Survey, Cartographic Boundary Files, Gazetteer and metro delineations, Population Estimates Program, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission), Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System), Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordability. JSON · /api/v1/outcomes/places/45021

See all comparisons

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 County, South Carolina is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Ralph NormanR-SC-5 · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 11.3%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

Metro area

The metro or micro area Cherokee County belongs to. A county is in at most one.

Gaffney, SC11Central county

Cities and towns in Cherokee County

Places whose residents live mostly in Cherokee County, largest first.

Neighboring counties

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar counties

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
National Risk IndexFederal Emergency Management Agency · release v1.20.0
Health Professional Shortage AreasHealth Resources and Services Administration · release 2026-10-09
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
Common Core of DataNational Center for Education Statistics · release 2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-10-06
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/45021

Calendar years	Cherokee County, South Carolina	United States
2014	−4.8%	−4.2%
2015	−0.9%	−1.3%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+1.5%	+3.3%
2018	−1.5%	+6.8%
2019	+1.8%	+10.5%
2020	+9.5%	+19.4%
2021	+12.0%	+26.1%
2022	+18.3%	+30.6%
2023	+26.5%	+35.0%
2024	+36.1%	+41.0%
2025	+42.1%	+46.8%

Calendar years	Cherokee County, South Carolina	United States
2014	−8.0%	−5.5%
2015	−2.9%	−1.9%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+4.7%	+4.1%
2018	+6.5%	+8.9%
2019	+11.5%	+13.5%
2020	+18.5%	+20.8%
2021	+27.1%	+32.1%
2022	+30.8%	+35.4%
2023	+33.5%	+42.9%
2024	+40.7%	+49.5%

Calendar years	Cherokee County, South Carolina	United States
2014	2.5/1k	3.3/1k
2015	1.5/1k	3.7/1k
2016	1.9/1k	3.7/1k
2017	3.3/1k	3.9/1k
2018	3.0/1k	4.1/1k
2019	2.3/1k	4.2/1k
2020	3.1/1k	4.4/1k
2021	3.1/1k	5.2/1k
2022	3.3/1k	5.0/1k
2023	4.7/1k	4.5/1k
2024	4.1/1k	4.3/1k
2025	4.9/1k	4.2/1k

Calendar years	Cherokee County, South Carolina	United States
2014	+1.8%	−6.9%
2015	−3.1%	−3.2%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	−8.7%	+4.7%
2018	+11.2%	+7.5%
2019	+22.6%	+14.0%
2020	+17.8%	+16.9%
2021	+19.7%	+21.0%
2022	+31.7%	+29.7%
2023	+50.9%	+34.9%
2024	+49.1%	+41.6%

Calendar years	Cherokee County, South Carolina	United States
2014	22.3%	15.5%
2015	20.3%	14.7%
2016	18.6%	14.0%
2017	20.2%	13.4%
2018	16.8%	13.1%
2019	16.0%	12.3%
2020	14.6%	11.9%
2021	18.8%	12.8%
2022	17.3%	12.6%
2023	16.8%	12.5%
2024	16.4%	12.1%

Calendar years	Cherokee County, South Carolina	United States
2014	8.1%	6.2%
2015	7.1%	5.3%
2016	6.0%	4.9%
2017	4.9%	4.4%
2018	3.6%	3.9%
2019	3.0%	3.7%
2020	8.0%	8.1%
2021	5.0%	5.4%
2022	4.1%	3.7%
2023	4.1%	3.6%
2024	5.6%	4.0%
2025	5.8%	4.3%

Calendar years	Cherokee County, South Carolina	United States
2014	−10.3% (Dec 2014)	−10.8% (Dec 2014)
2015	−5.5% (Dec 2015)	−5.2% (Dec 2015)
2016	0.0% (Dec 2016)	0.0% (Dec 2016)
2017	−2.0% (Dec 2017)	+6.4% (Dec 2017)
2018	+3.1% (Dec 2018)	+12.6% (Dec 2018)
2019	+13.8% (Dec 2019)	+18.1% (Dec 2019)
2020	+25.0% (Dec 2020)	+29.3% (Dec 2020)
2021	+40.2% (Dec 2021)	+49.8% (Dec 2021)
2022	+43.9% (Dec 2022)	+64.7% (Dec 2022)
2023	+36.3% (Dec 2023)	+69.0% (Dec 2023)
2024	+39.1% (Dec 2024)	+73.4% (Dec 2024)
2025	+31.2% (Dec 2025)	+73.7% (Dec 2025)

Calendar years	Cherokee County, South Carolina	United States
2014	16.7%	13.5%
2015	13.3%	10.9%
2016	11.9%	10.0%
2017	13.8%	10.2%
2018	12.8%	10.4%
2019	13.7%	10.8%
2020	15.2%	10.4%
2021	13.3%	10.2%
2022	11.5%	9.5%
2023	11.7%	9.5%
2024	12.1%	9.8%

Calendar years	Cherokee County, South Carolina	United States
2014	3.2/1k	8.5/1k
2015	3.3/1k	8.7/1k
2016	3.7/1k	9.1/1k
2017	3.9/1k	9.8/1k
2018	4.0/1k	10.7/1k
2019	4.4/1k	10.6/1k
2020	8.0/1k	13.1/1k
2021	10.7/1k	16.2/1k
2022	9.2/1k	15.1/1k
2023	10.0/1k	16.2/1k
2024	9.8/1k	15.4/1k
2025	11.8/1k	16.6/1k

Year	Cherokee County, South Carolina	Comparison counties (average)	Range of comparison counties
Year −3	−4.5 points	−2.8 points	−4.2 points to −1.1 points
Year −2	−11.2 points	−8.9 points	−14.9 points to −6.0 points
Year −1	0.0 points	0.0 points	0.0 points to 0.0 points
Year 0	−3.9 points	+0.2 points	−1.9 points to +3.5 points
Year +1	−9.6 points	−3.3 points	−7.2 points to −0.9 points
Year +2	−8.3 points	−4.3 points	−7.9 points to −2.5 points

Year	Cherokee County, South Carolina	Comparison counties (average)	Range of comparison counties
Year −3	−0.8 per 1,000 people	−0.4 per 1,000 people	−0.5 per 1,000 people to −0.2 per 1,000 people
Year −2	+0.0 per 1,000 people	−0.2 per 1,000 people	−0.9 per 1,000 people to +0.3 per 1,000 people
Year −1	0.0 per 1,000 people	0.0 per 1,000 people	0.0 per 1,000 people to 0.0 per 1,000 people
Year 0	+0.2 per 1,000 people	+0.1 per 1,000 people	−0.7 per 1,000 people to +1.1 per 1,000 people
Year +1	+1.7 per 1,000 people	+0.8 per 1,000 people	−0.2 per 1,000 people to +2.7 per 1,000 people
Year +2	+1.0 per 1,000 people	+1.2 per 1,000 people	−0.7 per 1,000 people to +5.8 per 1,000 people

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved10

Declined0

Counties like Cherokee County, South Carolina five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Getting to work

How people get to work

Time to get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Public money & outcomes

Money per resident

How outcomes moved

When its money jumped

Compared with 8 similar counties

Representation in Congress

House

Senate

Metro area

Cities and towns in Cherokee County

Neighboring counties

Similar counties

Data and sources

Improved10

Declined0

Household income

Age and sex

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Owners and renters

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

How people get to work

Time to get to work

House

Senate

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Money per resident

How outcomes moved

When its money jumped

Compared with 8 similar counties

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

What was bought

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards