Scores by category

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

Safety51#1,532/3,096
Economy22#2,457/3,143
Housing38#1,946/3,140
Health37#1,993/3,144
Healthcare20#2,504/3,143
Environment20#2,500/3,108
Education23#2,409/3,144
Infrastructure6#2,964/3,144
Community15#2,688/3,144
Leisure & amenities6#2,943/3,143

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Strengths

Time spent in the emergency room · low93 min
92/100Texas 149 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Drug overdose deaths · low9.4 /100k
85/100Texas 13.4 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional data
Comfortable days · high30.4%
84/100Texas 30.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Natural hazard risk · low19.3
80/100Texas 39.62025Federal Emergency Management Agency
Child care cost burden · low23.0%
77/100Texas 24.5%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Adult obesity · low35.9%
70/100Texas 37.5%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute

Weaknesses

Uninsured residents (under 65) · high21.4%
3/100Texas 19.1%United States 9.8%2024U.S. Census BureauModel-based estimate
High school diploma or higher · low82.0%
5/100Texas 86.0%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Lack of reliable transportation · high13.8%
8/100Texas 10.5%United States 8.3%2022Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high8.9 µg/m³
9/100Texas 8.9 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Some college · low45.6%
10/100Texas 64.8%United States 67.8%2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Food insecurity · high25.7%
10/100Texas 19.4%United States 15.6%2022Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate

Trends

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

PopulationRising
50,619 (2020) → 53,337 (2025)
+5.4%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
New homes permittedImproving
0.4 /1k (2021) → 0.8 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+135%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Drought exposureWorsening
30% (2021) → 54% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+25 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
New business applicationsImproving
6.8 /1k (2020) → 11.3 /1k (2025)
+67%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Property crime rateImproving
1,477 /100k (2020) → 644 /100k (2025)
−56%5 yearsUS 1,929 /100k → 1,535 /100k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
72.9% (2015-2019) → 83.6% (2020-2024)
+11 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 County, Texas improved on 7 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 20 moved within the margin of error and 3 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.

Improved7

Weekly wage+38%$733 → $1,009
Property crime−56%1,477 /100k → 644 /100k
New businesses+67%6.8 /1k → 11.3 /1k
Unemployment−3.5 points7.8% → 4.3%
Household income+27%$46,576 → $59,341

Declined2

Inequality+0.0300.433 → 0.463
Price / income+0.6×2.1× → 2.8×

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Cherokee County, Texas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	1.2 /10k2020	1.1 /10k2025	−5.1%	Within the margin of error	25%
Average commute time	25.1 min2015-2019	26.9 min2020-2024	+1.7 min	Within the margin of error	25%
Average weekly wage	$7332020	$1,0092025	+38%	Improved	96%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.2%2015-2019	18.9%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	33%
Broadband subscriptions	72.9%2015-2019	83.6%2020-2024	+11 points	Improved	56%
Child poverty rate	22.7%2019	20.4%2024	−2.3 points	Within the margin of error	63%
Distance to an airport	113 mi2020	113 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	10.3 /100k2020	9.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−8.7%	Within the margin of error	33%
Effective property tax rate	1.21%2015-2019	0.95%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Little change	84%
Firearm deaths	17.2 /100k2020	17.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−1.2%	Within the margin of error	51%
Grocery stores	1.2 /10k2020	1.3 /10k2025	+11%	Within the margin of error	79%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.2 /10k2020	0.2 /10k2025	−5.1%	Within the margin of error	32%
High school diploma or higher	79.0%2015-2019	82.0%2020-2024	+3 points	Within the margin of error	71%
Home price to income ratio	2.1×2015-2019	2.8×2020-2024	+0.6×	Declined	27%
Homicide rate	4.5 /100k2020	4.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−4.4%	Within the margin of error	25%
Income adjusted for local prices	$41,6702019	$55,0222024	+32%	Improved	53%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4332015-2019	0.4632020-2024	+0.030	Declined	14%
Median household income	$46,5762019	$59,3412024	+27%	Improved	63%
New business applications	6.8 /1k2020	11.3 /1k2025	+67%	Improved	75%
Pharmacies	1.4 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	+8.5%	Within the margin of error	88%
Poverty rate	16.5%2019	16.0%2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	56%
Property crime rate	1,477 /100k2020	644 /100k2025	−56%	Improved	83%
Public libraries	0.6 /10k2019	0.6 /10k2024	−1.2%	Within the margin of error	49%
Rent as share of income	25.7%2015-2019	25.6%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Rent-burdened households	40.0%2015-2019	40.7%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Within the margin of error	50%
Restaurants and bars	4.3 /10k2020	3.9 /10k2025	−9.4%	Within the margin of error	26%
Students per teacher	13.4×2019	13.4×2024	−0.0×	Little change	26%
Suicide rate	23.8 /100k2020	19.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−19%	Within the margin of error	85%
Traffic deaths	22.3 /100k2015-2019	26.2 /100k2020-2024	+18%	Within the margin of error	34%
Unemployment rate	7.8%2020	4.3%2025	−3.5 points	Improved	73%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	22.4%2019	21.4%2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Violent crime rate	206 /100k2020	189 /100k2025	−8.2%	Within the margin of error	41%

“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, Texas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Cherokee County, Texas 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, Texas itself moved +0.6 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

51,886 residents

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

18,185 households (±453)

Cherokee County, Texas
Texas share

Under $25k20%3,593
$25k–50k22%3,986
$50k–75k18%3,358

Homes

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

Owners and renters

18,185 households (±453)

Cherokee County, Texas
Texas share

Own74%13,453
Rent26%4,732

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

19,884 workers (±766)

Cherokee County, Texas
Texas share

Drive alone74%14,669
Carpool12%2,403
Public transit0.0%0

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 Jacksonville, TX

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 840 employer establishments, 160 for every 10,000 residents (0.64× the US rate of 248; 0.73× Texas's), with 11,002 paid employees at an average annual pay of $44,655. The Census Bureau also counts 4,097 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 840; 4,097 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 160; US 248 · Texas 218
Paid employees: 11,002
Average annual pay: $44,655; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	61	11.6	0.63×Fewer than typical	1,027	$18,320	34
Ambulatory health care services	48	9.1	0.44×Fewer than typical	489	$63,196	135
Religious organizations	48	9.1	1.64×More than typical	251	$19,574	—
Specialty trade contractors	46	8.7	0.56×Fewer than typical	329	$52,635	461
Lessors of real estate	31	5.9	0.48×Fewer than typical	57	$43,737	215
Limited-service restaurants	28	5.3	0.66×Fewer than typical	712	$17,907	9
Management, scientific and technical consulting	26	4.9	0.74×Fewer than typical	35	$47,686	89
Full-service restaurants	24	4.6	0.59×Fewer than typical	272	$20,085	17
Gasoline stations	24	4.6	1.41×More than typical	155	$20,929	—
Building equipment contractors	20	3.8	0.63×Fewer than typical	177	$55,514	80
Offices of physicians	20	3.8	0.59×Fewer than typical	331	$70,837	22
Services to buildings and dwellings	20	3.8	0.56×Fewer than typical	52	$58,250	436

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 52,631 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 $922.5K on contracts performed in Cherokee County, Texas: $17.30 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $922.5K; +3,590% vs FY2025
Per resident: $17.30; 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

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 $298.3M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Cherokee County, Texas: $5,593 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $298.3M; −2.5% vs FY2025
Per resident: $5,593; US $12,955
Loan face value: $9.4M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.9%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$192.7M65%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$28.4M9.5%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$25.8M8.7%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$21.8M7.3%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$10.9M3.7%
64.110 · Veterans Dependency and Indemnity Compensation for Service-Connected Death$2.4M0.8%
57.001 · Social Insurance for Railroad Workers$2.3M0.8%
20.272 · Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP)$2.2M0.7%

Top recipients (organizations)

TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$3.2M1.1%
AUSTIN, TX
ALTO HOUSING AUTHORITY$1.5M0.5%
ALTO, TX
JACKSONVILLE COLLEGE$994.3K0.3%
JACKSONVILLE, TX
TRAVIS TOWERS, INC.$694.2K0.2%
JACKSONVILLE, TX
WELLS MANOR HOUSING, LTD.$539.3K

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$253.9M85%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$29.2M9.8%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$3.2M1.1%
Department of Transportation
Railroad Retirement Board$2.3M0.8%
Farm Service Agency$1.9M0.6%

Assistance by fiscal year

271.9MFY2021
248.8MFY2022
301.2MFY2023
252MFY2024
305.9MFY2025
298.3MFY2026

County aggregates

96%

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 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Explore grants in Cherokee County, Texas

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, Texas 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, Texas
United States
partial year

Federal contractsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Cherokee County, Texas and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Cherokee County, Texas	United States
FY2017

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

House

Jake EllzeyR-TX-6 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 1.5%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

Metro area

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

Jacksonville, TX6Central 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 2026-10-03
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 2026-09-29
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
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/48073

Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Cherokee County, Texas	United States
FY2021	$707	$5,748
FY2022	$149	$5,221
FY2023	$736	$5,364
FY2024	-$498	$5,501
FY2025	$100	$5,732
FY2026	$82.97 (partial year)	$5,446

Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Cherokee County, Texas	United States
FY2021	$662	$298
FY2022	$136	$357
FY2023	$724	$301
FY2024	-$545	$319
FY2025	$93.08	$360
FY2026	$59.27 (partial year)	$349

Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Cherokee County, Texas	United States
FY2021	$79.89	$239
FY2022	$69.71	$185
FY2023	$84.58	$229
FY2024	$81.63	$229
FY2025	$70.97	$249
FY2026	$89.96 (partial year)	$201

Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Cherokee County, Texas	United States
FY2021	$603	$1,186
FY2022	$413	$465
FY2023	$39.43	$76.52
FY2024	$148	$120
FY2025	$58.54	$148
FY2026	$42.25 (partial year)	$108

Calendar years	Cherokee County, Texas	United States
2014	−3.2%	−4.2%
2015	−1.7%	−1.3%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+1.4%	+3.3%
2018	+4.8%	+6.8%
2019

Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Cherokee County, Texas	United States
FY2017	$0	$93.28
FY2018	$0	$105
FY2019	$0	$128
FY2020	$0	$145
FY2021	$0	$117
FY2022	$0.77	$138
FY2023	-$0.07	$159
FY2024	$0	$157
FY2025	$0	$149
FY2026	$0 (partial year)	$211

Calendar years	Cherokee County, Texas	United States
2014	−1.1%	2.0%
2015	−2.1%	2.1%
2016	1.7%	1.7%
2017	−2.1%	1.4%
2018	1.3%	1.6%
2019	1.1%	1.4%
2020	−2.8%	−6.1%
2021	−1.4%	3.4%
2022	2.2%	4.3%
2023	1.4%	2.1%
2024	1.5%	1.2%
2025	0.2%	0.5%

Calendar years	Cherokee County, Texas	United States
2014	5.9%	6.2%
2015	5.2%	5.3%
2016	5.0%	4.9%
2017	4.4%	4.4%
2018	4.0%	3.9%
2019	3.6%

Calendar years	Cherokee County, Texas	United States
2014	−3.5%	−5.5%
2015	−1.1%	−1.9%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+1.9%	+4.1%
2018	+6.0%	+8.9%
2019

Calendar years	Cherokee County, Texas	United States
2014	0.1/1k	3.3/1k
2015	0.1/1k	3.7/1k
2016	0.1/1k	3.7/1k
2017	0.1/1k	3.9/1k
2018	0.3/1k	4.1/1k
2019

Calendar years	Cherokee County, Texas	United States
2014	−2.4%	−6.9%
2015	+4.9%	−3.2%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+19.6%	+4.7%
2018	+10.3%	+7.5%
2019

Calendar years	Cherokee County, Texas	United States
2014	20.1%	15.5%
2015	19.0%	14.7%
2016	19.4%	14.0%
2017	17.2%	13.4%
2018	17.4%	13.1%
2019	16.5%

Calendar years	Cherokee County, Texas	United States
2014	−10.8% (Dec 2014)	−10.8% (Dec 2014)
2015	−3.2% (Dec 2015)	−5.2% (Dec 2015)
2016	0.0% (Dec 2016)	0.0% (Dec 2016)
2017

Calendar years	Cherokee County, Texas	United States
2014	24.9%	13.5%
2015	21.7%	10.9%
2016	22.5%	10.0%
2017	21.6%	10.2%
2018	22.4%	10.4%
2019

Calendar years	Cherokee County, Texas	United States
2014	5.0/1k	8.5/1k
2015	4.7/1k	8.7/1k
2016	4.3/1k	9.1/1k
2017	4.5/1k	9.8/1k
2018	5.8/1k	10.7/1k
2019

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends