Cherokee County Demographics

A map of Cherokee County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	21,513	20,231	44.9%	43.0%
Native American/Other	14,965	15,905	31.2%	33.8%
Multiracial	6,601	6,678	13.8%	14.2%
Hispanic	3,829	3,437	8.0%	7.3%
Black	607	519	1.3%	1.1%
Asian	427	308	0.9%	0.7%

Cherokee County, Oklahoma has an estimated population of 47,942, a slight increase from the 47,078 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 44.9% White, 31.2% Native American/Other, 13.8% Multiracial, 8.0% Hispanic, 1.3% Black, and 0.9% 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 is about as racially diverse as it was in the 2020 Census. It is considerably more diverse than Oklahoma 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 67.6% in 2020 and 67.6% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Cherokee County is ranked the 19th most populous county in Oklahoma, out of 77 counties. Cherokee County was ranked the 18th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Cherokee County's White Population

21,513 residents of Cherokee County, or 44.9% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Cherokee County is significantly lower than in Oklahoma overall, where 62.1% of the population is White. Cherokee County ranks 75th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 77 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cherokee County's White population has grown by an estimated 6.3%. White residents' share of Cherokee County's population has increased from 43.0% to 44.9%.

Cherokee County is more White than neighboring Adair County (39% White). Cherokee County is less White than neighboring Mayes County (62% White), Muskogee County (53.6% White), Sequoyah County (60.6% White), and Wagoner County (66.7% White).

Cherokee County's Black Population

607 residents of Cherokee County, or 1.3% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Cherokee County is lower than in Oklahoma overall, where 6.8% of the population is Black. Cherokee County ranks 56th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 77 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cherokee County's Black population has grown by an estimated 17.0%. Black residents' share of Cherokee County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.3%.

Cherokee County is more Black than neighboring Adair County (0.8% Black), and Mayes County (0.4% Black). Cherokee County is less Black than neighboring Muskogee County (9.7% Black), Sequoyah County (1.9% Black), and Wagoner County (3.4% Black).

Cherokee County's Asian Population

427 residents of Cherokee County, or 0.9% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Cherokee County is comparable to the share in Oklahoma overall, where 2.4% of the population is Asian. Cherokee County ranks 24th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 77 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cherokee County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 38.6%. Asian residents' share of Cherokee County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.9%.

Cherokee County is more Asian than neighboring Mayes County (0.5% Asian), Muskogee County (0.8% Asian), and Sequoyah County (0.7% Asian). Cherokee County is less Asian than neighboring Adair County (1.3% Asian), and Wagoner County (2.2% Asian).

Cherokee County's Hispanic Population

3,829 residents of Cherokee County, or 8.0% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Cherokee County is slightly lower than in Oklahoma overall, where 12.7% of the population is Hispanic. Cherokee County ranks 38th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 77 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cherokee County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 11.4%. Hispanic residents' share of Cherokee County's population has increased from 7.3% to 8.0%.

Cherokee County is more Hispanic than neighboring Adair County (7.2% Hispanic), Mayes County (3.9% Hispanic), Muskogee County (7.5% Hispanic), and Sequoyah County (5.1% Hispanic). Cherokee County is less Hispanic than neighboring Wagoner County (8.8% Hispanic).

Cherokee County's Native American/Other Population

14,965 residents of Cherokee County, or 31.2% 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 significantly higher than in Oklahoma overall, where 7.1% of the population is Native American/Other. Cherokee County ranks 2nd statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 77 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cherokee County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 5.9%. Native American/Other residents' share of Cherokee County's population has decreased from 33.8% to 31.2%.

Cherokee County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Mayes County (20.1% Native American/Other), Muskogee County (17.1% Native American/Other), Sequoyah County (18.5% Native American/Other), and Wagoner County (8.4% Native American/Other). Cherokee County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Adair County (39% Native American/Other).

Cherokee County's Multiracial Population

6,601 residents of Cherokee County, or 13.8% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Cherokee County is slightly higher than in Oklahoma overall, where 8.9% of the population is Multiracial. Cherokee County ranks 3rd statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 77 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cherokee County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 1.2%. Multiracial residents' share of Cherokee County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 13.8%.

Cherokee County is more Multiracial than neighboring Adair County (12.8% Multiracial), Mayes County (13.1% Multiracial), Muskogee County (11.5% Multiracial), Sequoyah County (13.2% Multiracial), and Wagoner County (10.5% 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.