How many people live in Cherokee County, SC?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 57,800 people living in Cherokee County, SC. That makes Cherokee County the 24th-most populous county in South Carolina. It is home to 1% of people living in the state.
57.8K
population of Cherokee County, SC (2024)
1%
County share of the South Carolina population (2024)
About 57,800 people lived in Cherokee County, SC in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Cherokee County, SC’s age demographics?
About 10,500 Cherokee County, SC residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 18.1% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 19.8% of South Carolina’s population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 13,000 Cherokee County residents, or 22.4% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 21.2% of South Carolina’s population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A lower share of Cherokee County, SC's population is aged 25–44 than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Cherokee County, SC’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Non-Hispanic white residents make up 71.1% of the Cherokee County, SC population, higher than the national share of 57.5%. Cherokee County, SC also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic Black or African American (19.5%) than the US overall (12.6%).
In contrast, Cherokee County’s Hispanic population accounts for 6.2%, below the 20% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic Asian population makes up 0.76% of the county, compared with 6.5% nationally.
Racial and ethnic make up differ based on location. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate out Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census reporting standards.
Cherokee County, SC has a higher share of a non-Hispanic white population than South Carolina as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Cherokee County, SC is Gaffney with about 12,500 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Cherokee County, SC ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Gaffney | 12,546 |
| 2. | Blacksburg | 1,954 |
| 3. | Chesnee (pt.) | 18 |
| 4. | Smyrna (pt.) | |
| 5. | Balance of Cherokee County | 43,252 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
