Cherokee County, Oklahoma Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Cherokee County is located in Oklahoma with a total population of 47,942. It is the 19th most populous county out of 77 in Oklahoma. The county encompasses 31 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Cherokee County is 37.3 years. This is about the same as the state median of 37.0 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Cherokee County is $53,218. This is 18% lower than the state median of $65,039. It is also 34% lower than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 18.2%. This is 19% higher than the state poverty rate of 15.3%. The unemployment rate is 5.1%. This is 3% higher than the state rate of 5.0%. The median home value is $168,500. Housing costs are 16% lower than the state median of $199,800. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.2x. 65.7% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied.

Race & Ethnicity

Cherokee County is a highly diverse community where no single racial or ethnic group constitutes a majority of the population. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 8.0%. The Black or African American population (1.3%) is well below the state average of 6.8%. The Asian population (0.9%) is well below the state average of 2.4%.

Education

29.2% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 3% higher than the state rate of 28.3%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 89.2%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Cherokee County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates, with comparisons drawn against Oklahoma and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.