HomeSouth CarolinaCherokee County
Cherokee County, South Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Cherokee County, South Carolina has a population of 56,647 across 393 square miles, up 2.8 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $2.34 bn in 2024, 935 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 19 7(a) approvals worth $31.9 m.
117 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Cherokee County
How many people live in Cherokee County
- Population56,647
- Households22,063
- Average household size2.57
- Median household income$50,288
- Median age40.4
- Median gross rent$869 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$142,000
- Home value to household income2.8 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income20.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher18.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree7.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over38,809
- Population under 1812,874
- Share under 1822.7 percent
- Population 65 and over9,931
- Share 65 and over17.5 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6433,842
- Civilian labor force25,439
- Unemployment rate6.3 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over58.1 percent
- Rank by population among South Carolina counties24th of 46
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents934th
Cherokee County is the 24th largest of 46 South Carolina counties by population. A median home costs 2.8 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 22.7 percent against 17.5 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
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 base2.75 percent
- Census 2020 base population56,226
- Births, 2024605
- Deaths, 2024756
- Natural change, 2024-151
- Net domestic migration, 2024816
- Net international migration, 2024160
- Total net migration, 2024976
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20241,839
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents938th
The county has grown 2.75 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 arriving1,304
- People arriving, from those returns2,464
- Adjusted gross income arriving$63.1 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$48,388
- Largest single originCherokee County Non-migrants (19,344 households)
- Largest single destination (19,344 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee County Non-migrants | 19,344 | 39,771 | $1.15 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 424 | 770 | $24.2 m |
| Spartanburg County | 366 | 717 | $16.5 m |
| Other flows - South | 265 | 472 | $14.4 m |
| York County | 108 | 220 | $5.9 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 102 | 172 | $3.8 m |
| Cleveland County | 83 | 163 | $3.1 m |
| Gaston County | 65 | 125 | $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$2.34 bn
- County GDP, 2023$2.18 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20247.5 percent
- GDP change over five years30.0 percent
- Rank by GDP among South Carolina counties24th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1152nd
- GDP per resident$41,340
Output grew 7.5 percent in the latest year and 30.0 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 average18,064
- Establishments reporting988
- Average annual pay$48,261
- Average weekly wage$928
- Sector 31-33, employment5,082
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$62,792
- Sector 44-45, employment2,306
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$29,826
- Sector 72, employment1,751
- Sector 72, average annual pay$21,125
- Sector 48-49, employment1,212
- Sector 48-49, average annual pay$50,964
- Sector 62, employment1,014
- Sector 56, employment939
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 5,082 | 71 | $62,792 |
| Sector 44-45 | 2,306 | 194 | $29,826 |
| Sector 72 | 1,751 | 100 | $21,125 |
| Sector 48-49 | 1,212 | 32 | $50,964 |
| Sector 62 | 1,014 | 102 | $37,165 |
| Sector 56 | 939 | 44 | $41,111 |
| Sector 23 | 808 | 90 | $72,963 |
| Sector 42 | 678 | 32 | $52,021 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 5,082 jobs, 28.1 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 industries935
- Employment at those establishments17,983
- Annual payroll$815.2 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents16.5
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, 2024239
- Declared construction value permitted$50.9 m
- Single family units authorised203
- Multifamily units authorised36
- Multifamily share of units15.1 percent
- Average declared value per unit$212,954
- Units authorised per 1,000 households10.8
Multifamily is 15.1 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 recorded19
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$31.9 m
- Average 7(a) approval$1,676,642
- Median 7(a) approval$1,275,300
- 10th percentile approval$50,000
- 90th percentile approval$4,068,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)240
- Jobs per approval12.6
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active15
- Distinct industries receiving approvals13
- Median 7(a) term300 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer73.7 percent
- Loans on real estate terms14
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter5
- Franchise loans8
- Franchise share of approvals42.1 percent
- Leading industry by approval countHotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (5)
- Most active lenderTD Bank, National Association (3)
- 504 approvals recorded3
- 504 gross approval dollars$1.8 m
- Average 504 approval$615,333
- Median 504 approval$679,000
- Distinct CDCs active3
- 504 jobs per approval6.7
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved10.8
- Most active CDCCarolina Business Capital, Inc. (1)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals86.4 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$33.7 m
The average approval of $1,676,642 sits close to the median of $1,275,300, so lending here is fairly evenly sized rather than driven by a few large deals. 73.7 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. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 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: Exempt from disclosure13
- Status: Cancelled3
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 lending3
- Gaffney, approvals13
- BLACKSBURG, approvals5
- COWPENS, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Gaffney | 13 | $23,706,100 |
| BLACKSBURG | 5 | $7,900,100 |
| COWPENS | 1 | $250,000 |
Gaffney accounts for 13 approvals against 5 in BLACKSBURG. 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 area393 sq mi
- Rank by land area among South Carolina counties44th of 46
- Width, east to west28.8 mi
- Height, north to south23.8 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary3
- Residents per square mile of land144
- Establishments per square mile2.38
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.
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 NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- 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.
- Population56,647
- Households22,063
- Average household size2.57
- Median household income$50,288
- Median age40.4
Common questions
Cherokee County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Cherokee County, South Carolina?
56,647, in 22,063 households, ranking 24th of 46 South Carolina counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Cherokee County growing?
The population has grown 2.75 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 605 births against 756 deaths, with net migration of 976. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Cherokee County?
$50,288. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $142,000, which is 2.8 times income, and median gross rent is $869 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Cherokee County?
935 establishments, employing 17,983 people with an annual payroll of $815.2 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 $48,261, or $928 a week, across 18,064 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?
19 7(a) approvals totalling $31.9 m since FY2020, across 15 lenders, with a median approval of $1,275,300, plus 3 504 approvals worth $1.8 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Cherokee County?
239 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $50.9 m. Multifamily was 15.1 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Cherokee County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 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 19,344 households. Arriving households report an average income of $48,388 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.