Cherokee County Demographics

A map of Cherokee County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	16,337	16,241	85.3%	83.9%
Multiracial	1,426	1,632	7.4%	8.4%
Native American/Other	567	831	3.0%	4.3%
Hispanic	566	514	3.0%	2.7%
Black	155	79	0.8%	0.4%
Asian	100	65	0.5%	0.3%

Cherokee County, Kansas has an estimated population of 19,151, a slight decrease from the 19,362 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 85.3% White, 7.4% Multiracial, 3.0% Hispanic, 3.0% Native American/Other, 0.8% Black, and 0.5% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Cherokee County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Cherokee has become less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Kansas overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Cherokee County, that probability was 28.7% in 2020 and 26.5% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Cherokee County is ranked the 28th most populous county in Kansas, out of 105 counties. Cherokee County was ranked the 28th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Cherokee County's White Population

16,337 residents of Cherokee County, or 85.3% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Cherokee County is considerably higher than in Kansas overall, where 72.7% of the population is White. Cherokee County ranks 64th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 105 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cherokee County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Cherokee County's population has increased from 83.9% to 85.3%.

Cherokee County is more White than neighboring Ottawa County (62.4% White), Crawford County (83.4% White), Labette County (83.2% White), Jasper County (80.6% White), and Craig County (61.1% White).

Cherokee County's Black Population

155 residents of Cherokee County, or 0.8% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Cherokee County is slightly lower than in Kansas overall, where 5.2% of the population is Black. Cherokee County ranks 66th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 105 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cherokee County's Black population has grown by an estimated 96.2%. Black residents' share of Cherokee County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.8%.

Cherokee County is less Black than neighboring Ottawa County (1.1% Black), Crawford County (1.5% Black), Labette County (3.2% Black), Jasper County (1.7% Black), and Craig County (3.3% Black).

Cherokee County's Asian Population

100 residents of Cherokee County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Cherokee County is slightly lower than in Kansas overall, where 2.9% of the population is Asian. Cherokee County ranks 67th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 105 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cherokee County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 53.8%. Asian residents' share of Cherokee County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Cherokee County is more Asian than neighboring Labette County (0% Asian). Cherokee County is less Asian than neighboring Ottawa County (0.8% Asian), Crawford County (1.7% Asian), Jasper County (1.3% Asian), and Craig County (1.6% Asian).

Cherokee County's Hispanic Population

566 residents of Cherokee County, or 3.0% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Cherokee County is considerably lower than in Kansas overall, where 13.6% of the population is Hispanic. Cherokee County ranks 91st statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 105 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cherokee County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 10.1%. Hispanic residents' share of Cherokee County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.0%.

Cherokee County is less Hispanic than neighboring Ottawa County (6.1% Hispanic), Crawford County (7.5% Hispanic), Labette County (5.1% Hispanic), Jasper County (9.8% Hispanic), and Craig County (4% Hispanic).

Cherokee County's Native American/Other Population

567 residents of Cherokee County, or 3.0% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Cherokee County is slightly higher than in Kansas overall, where 0.9% of the population is Native American/Other. Cherokee County ranks 4th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 105 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cherokee County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 31.8%. Native American/Other residents' share of Cherokee County's population has decreased from 4.3% to 3.0%.

Cherokee County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Crawford County (1% Native American/Other), Labette County (1.9% Native American/Other), and Jasper County (1.3% Native American/Other). Cherokee County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Ottawa County (19.2% Native American/Other), and Craig County (19.7% Native American/Other).

Cherokee County's Multiracial Population

1,426 residents of Cherokee County, or 7.4% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Cherokee County is slightly higher than in Kansas overall, where 4.8% of the population is Multiracial. Cherokee County ranks 3rd statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 105 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cherokee County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 12.6%. Multiracial residents' share of Cherokee County's population has decreased from 8.4% to 7.4%.

Cherokee County is more Multiracial than neighboring Crawford County (4.9% Multiracial), Labette County (6.7% Multiracial), and Jasper County (5.4% Multiracial). Cherokee County is less Multiracial than neighboring Ottawa County (10.4% Multiracial), and Craig County (10.2% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.