HomeNorth CarolinaCherokee County
Cherokee County, North Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Cherokee County, North Carolina has a population of 29,562 across 455 square miles, up 5.6 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $1.18 bn in 2024, 649 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 14 7(a) approvals worth $14.7 m.
112 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Cherokee County
How many people live in Cherokee County
- Population29,562
- Households13,241
- Average household size2.23
- Median household income$53,628
- Median age53.5
- Median gross rent$813 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$232,300
- Home value to household income4.3 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher24.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree8.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over23,155
- Population under 184,716
- Share under 1816.0 percent
- Population 65 and over9,303
- Share 65 and over31.5 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6415,543
- Civilian labor force12,546
- Unemployment rate4.1 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over50.5 percent
- Rank by population among North Carolina counties72nd of 100
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1488th
Cherokee County is the 72nd largest of 100 North Carolina counties by population. A median home costs 4.3 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 31.5 percent against 16.0 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Cherokee County
Is Cherokee County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base5.56 percent
- Census 2020 base population28,774
- Births, 2024313
- Deaths, 2024435
- Natural change, 2024-122
- Net domestic migration, 2024550
- Net international migration, 2024-8
- Total net migration, 2024542
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20242,363
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents467th
The county has grown 5.56 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Cherokee County
Where people moving to Cherokee County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving983
- People arriving, from those returns1,708
- Adjusted gross income arriving$68.6 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$69,738
- Largest single originCherokee County Non-migrants (10,170 households)
- Largest single destination (10,170 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee County Non-migrants | 10,170 | 19,886 | $563.7 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 647 | 1,133 | $50.6 m |
| Other flows - South | 481 | 857 | $39.5 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 123 | 213 | $7.2 m |
| Clay County | 69 | 119 | $2.5 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 66 | 110 | $4.5 m |
| Other flows - West | 62 | 114 | $4.4 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 38 | 52 | $2.2 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Cherokee County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Cherokee County
What the Cherokee County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$1.18 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.11 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20247.1 percent
- GDP change over five years36.9 percent
- Rank by GDP among North Carolina counties72nd
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1704th
- GDP per resident$40,039
Output grew 7.1 percent in the latest year and 36.9 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Cherokee County
Who employs people in Cherokee County
- Covered employment, annual average7,976
- Establishments reporting929
- Average annual pay$45,626
- Average weekly wage$877
- Sector 44-45, employment1,441
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$31,384
- Sector 72, employment1,003
- Sector 72, average annual pay$23,750
- Sector 31-33, employment667
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$53,653
- Sector 23, employment444
- Sector 23, average annual pay$51,712
- Sector 54, employment426
- Sector 81, employment231
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 44-45 | 1,441 | 114 | $31,384 |
| Sector 72 | 1,003 | 90 | $23,750 |
| Sector 31-33 | 667 | 28 | $53,653 |
| Sector 23 | 444 | 123 | $51,712 |
| Sector 54 | 426 | 98 | $58,336 |
| Sector 81 | 231 | 89 | $28,606 |
| Sector 52 | 174 | 50 | $63,608 |
| Sector 42 | 154 | 25 | $78,786 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 1,441 jobs, 18.1 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Cherokee County
What businesses operate in Cherokee County
- Establishments, all industries649
- Employment at those establishments7,678
- Annual payroll$303.0 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents22.0
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Cherokee County
What is being built in Cherokee County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024232
- Declared construction value permitted$63.0 m
- Single family units authorised232
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$271,546
- Units authorised per 1,000 households17.5
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Cherokee County
How much SBA lending happens in Cherokee County
- 7(a) approvals recorded14
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$14.7 m
- Average 7(a) approval$1,047,921
- Median 7(a) approval$1,107,600
- 10th percentile approval$19,500
- 90th percentile approval$1,706,000
- Largest single approval$3,625,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)142
- Jobs per approval10.1
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active10
- Distinct industries receiving approvals10
- Median 7(a) term180 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer42.9 percent
- Loans on real estate terms6
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter7
- Franchise loans2
- Franchise share of approvals14.3 percent
- Leading industry by approval countOther Building Material Dealers (2)
- Most active lenderUnited Community Bank (3)
The average approval of $1,047,921 sits close to the median of $1,107,600, so lending here is fairly evenly sized rather than driven by a few large deals. 42.9 percent of approvals run on real estate terms of 240 months or more, so this is a market where SBA credit is buying buildings, not just funding operations.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Cherokee County
Do SBA loans in Cherokee County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded3
- Paid in full3
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full3
- Status: Cancelled5
- Status: Exempt from disclosure6
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 3 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Cherokee County
Which parts of Cherokee County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending2
- Murphy, approvals11
- Andrews, approvals3
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Murphy | 11 | $13,073,900 |
| Andrews | 3 | $1,597,000 |
Murphy accounts for 11 approvals against 3 in Andrews. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Cherokee County
How big is Cherokee County
- Land area455 sq mi
- Rank by land area among North Carolina counties52nd of 100
- Width, east to west35 mi
- Height, north to south21 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary3
- Residents per square mile of land65
- Establishments per square mile1.43
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Cherokee County
What hazards affect Cherokee County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book4
- Of those, participating in the NFIP4
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Best Community Rating System class in the county A lower CRS class is a larger flood insurance premium discount.Class 10
- Communities carrying a CRS class1
The EPA places the county in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. The best Community Rating System class in the county is 10, which carries a flood insurance premium discount for properties in the participating community.
US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001. FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Community Status Book, Community Status Book, as retrieved.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No 504 approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2010 onward.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Cherokee County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Cherokee County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population29,562
- Households13,241
- Average household size2.23
- Median household income$53,628
- Median age53.5
Common questions
Cherokee County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Cherokee County, North Carolina?
29,562, in 13,241 households, ranking 72nd of 100 North Carolina counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Cherokee County growing?
The population has grown 5.56 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 313 births against 435 deaths, with net migration of 542. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Cherokee County?
$53,628. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $232,300, which is 4.3 times income, and median gross rent is $813 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Cherokee County?
649 establishments, employing 7,678 people with an annual payroll of $303.0 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Cherokee County?
Average annual pay is $45,626, or $877 a week, across 7,976 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Cherokee County?
14 7(a) approvals totalling $14.7 m since FY2020, across 10 lenders, with a median approval of $1,107,600. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Cherokee County?
232 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $63.0 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Cherokee County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Cherokee County come from?
The largest single origin is Cherokee County Non-migrants, with 10,170 households. Arriving households report an average income of $69,738 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Cherokee County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Cherokee County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.