Map the Block › Places › South Carolina › Cherokee County
What are the crime rate and median income in Cherokee County, South Carolina?
FBI reports put Cherokee County at 2.9 violent crimes per 1,000 people a year over 2021-2025, 36% lower than the rate for South Carolina (4.6). Median household income is $50,288 and the unemployment rate was 5.4% in August 2026. About 56,647 people live in the county.
Last updated . Crime: FBI 2021-2025. Income and housing: Census ACS 2020-2024. Unemployment: BLS August 2026. Road work: October 11, 2026.
Also on the map: income · hazard risk · Superfund · dams
What is the crime rate in Cherokee County?
Police agencies in Cherokee County reported an average of 167 violent crimes and 1,245 property crimes a year from 2021 to 2025. The violent rate, 2.9 per 1,000 people, is 36% lower than the South Carolina rate (4.6); nationally it is 3.7. Property crime ran at 21.9 per 1,000, against 21.3 statewide. Aggravated assaults make up 79% of the violent total. CDC death records show about 6 homicide deaths a year in the county (10.3 per 100,000), a count that includes cases police may classify differently.
| Offense (yearly average, 2021-2025) | Cherokee County | Per 1,000 | South Carolina per 1,000 | U.S. per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 167 | 2.9 | 4.6 | 3.7 |
| Murder | 4 | 0.07 | 0.09 | 0.06 |
| Rape | 19 | 0.33 | 0.39 | 0.40 |
| Robbery | 11 | 0.19 | 0.39 | 0.62 |
| Aggravated assault | 132 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 2.6 |
| Property crime | 1,245 | 21.9 | 21.3 | 18.1 |
| Burglary | 270 | 4.8 | 3.2 | 2.4 |
| Larceny-theft | 815 | 14.4 | 15.8 | 13.0 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 160 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 2.6 |
Most crime never reaches the police, so these are reported crimes, a floor rather than the full count. In 2024 about half of violent crimes (48%) and about 3 in 10 property crimes (31%) were reported to police (U.S. Justice Department, National Crime Victimization Survey). Rates also depend on how completely each agency reports to the FBI. County figures add up the city police and sheriff reports in the county (3 agencies; 100% of residents covered).
What is the median household income in Cherokee County?
Half of households in Cherokee County make more than $50,288 and half make less; across South Carolina the midpoint is $69,324. Owner-occupied homes have a median value of $142,000, and the median rent is $869 a month. 14.1% of households received SNAP benefits in the past year (state: 10.5%). The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 5.4% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 1,268 people out of work and looking.
| Census ACS 2020-2024 | Cherokee County | South Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 56,647 | 5,296,225 | 334,922,499 |
| Median household income | $50,288 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $142,000 | $250,000+ | $332,700 |
| Median gross rent | $869 | $1,180 | $1,413 |
| Unemployment rate (2020-2024 average) | 6.3% | 4.9% | 5.2% |
| People below the poverty line | 18.4% | 14.1% | 12.5% |
| Households receiving SNAP (food stamps) | 14.1% | 10.5% | 12.1% |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher | 18.4% | 32.1% | 35.7% |
| Homeowner households | 73.8% | 71.9% | 65.2% |
| Median age | 40.4 | 40.2 | 38.9 |
| Households with broadband internet | 80.7% | 88.8% | 91.0% |
| People without health insurance | 10.5% | 9.6% | 8.4% |
What natural hazards and environmental sites are in Cherokee County?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall natural-hazard risk for Cherokee County as “Relatively Low”. None of the seven hazards on our map (floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat, earthquakes, hurricanes) is rated above “Relatively Moderate” here. The index compares counties with each other and also weighs how vulnerable and resilient a community is, so it is a long-run estimate, not a forecast.
Superfund sites
1 Superfund site is on or proposed for EPA's National Priorities List in Cherokee County: Medley Farm Drum Dump. A listing means EPA is managing a long-term cleanup; it does not by itself mean anyone is exposed today.
High-hazard dams
Cherokee County has 12 dams classed as high hazard in the National Inventory of Dams. None is rated Poor or Unsatisfactory; 12 are rated Satisfactory or Fair. Tallest on the list: Thicketty Creek WCD 25 (73 ft) and Lake Whelchel (73 ft). “High hazard” describes what lies downstream (people would probably die if the dam failed), not how likely the dam is to fail.
Industrial chemical releases
17 facilities in the county filed Toxics Release Inventory reports for 2024, together reporting 899,141 pounds of listed chemicals released on site. Reported releases are legal permitted amounts in most cases.
Disasters, air and water
Cherokee County was covered by 3 federal major disaster declarations from 2016 through 2025 (Hurricane 3), not counting COVID-19. Of 6 community water systems, none had an open health-based drinking-water violation in EPA's records (September 2026). EPA puts the county in radon zone 2 (moderate). NHTSA counted 20 traffic deaths in the county in 2024, including 1 pedestrian.
Is there road construction in Cherokee County?
Cherokee County had 4 highway work zones in the October 11, 2026 feed from the state DOT (0 active that day). Roads listed: SC150, SC5 and SC18. The map's construction layer is refreshed every morning.
See today's work zones on the map →
How many schools, nursing homes and parks are in Cherokee County?
Cherokee County has 17 public schools (2024-25) and 0 private schools (2023-24) in federal school lists. 3 nursing homes are certified by Medicare or Medicaid here; star ratings for each are on the map and on Medicare's Care Compare. USGS mapping shows 19 fire or EMS stations and 2 police or sheriff stations. Park Service units in the area: Cowpens National Battlefield and Kings Mountain National Military Park.
Gun shops, liquor stores and Planned Parenthood in Cherokee County
Gun shops
6 gun shops with a public storefront are on the map in Cherokee County (5 from the ATF licensee list, 1 from OpenStreetMap), plus 11 more licensed dealers without a public storefront (not shown). 2 of them are pawnshops licensed to sell guns. On the ATF list: Cherokee Gun And Ammo (Gaffney), Cherokee Outfitters INC (Gaffney), Gaffney Pawn Shop (Gaffney), Money Matters Pawn Shop (Gaffney) and Walmart #638 (Gaffney).
Liquor stores
7 liquor stores are on the map in Cherokee County: A to Z Liquor (Gaffney), ABC, Abc Liquor Store, ABC Package Store, ABC Store, Hometown Liquor and Wine (Gaffney) and JK's Liquor Store (Blacksburg). South Carolina has no complete public liquor licence list we can use, so this count also draws on OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps and may miss some stores or include closed ones.
Planned Parenthood
There is no Planned Parenthood health center in Cherokee County on the map.
See them on the map: gun shops · liquor stores →
Sources: ATF licensee list (Sept 2026); state liquor licence lists, OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (non-official; partial in some states); HHS Title X directory and CMS NPPES.
Common questions
What is the crime rate in Cherokee County?
Cherokee County averaged 167 reported violent crimes a year in 2021-2025, or 2.9 per 1,000 residents, 36% lower than the South Carolina rate (4.6). The property-crime rate was 21.9 per 1,000 (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting).
What is the median household income in Cherokee County?
$50,288 (Census American Community Survey, 2020-2024 average), compared with $69,324 for South Carolina and $80,734 nationally.
What is the unemployment rate in Cherokee County?
The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 5.4% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 1,268 people out of work and looking.
What natural hazards affect Cherokee County?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall natural-hazard risk for Cherokee County as “Relatively Low”. None of the seven hazards on our map (floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat, earthquakes, hurricanes) is rated above “Relatively Moderate” here.
Are there Superfund sites in Cherokee County?
1 Superfund site is on or proposed for EPA's National Priorities List in Cherokee County: Medley Farm Drum Dump.
Is there road construction in Cherokee County right now?
Cherokee County had 4 highway work zones in the October 11, 2026 feed from the state DOT (0 active that day). Roads listed: SC150, SC5 and SC18.
How many nursing homes are in Cherokee County?
3 Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing homes (CMS provider data, September 2026).
How does Cherokee County compare with neighboring counties?
| County | Population | Violent crimes per 1,000 (2021-25) | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland County, NC | 100,991 | 4.5 | $58,534 |
| Rutherford County, NC | 64,930 | 2.3 | $51,410 |
| Spartanburg County | 347,852 | 5.6 | $66,234 |
| Union County | 26,885 | 4.9 | $41,621 |
| York County | 293,673 | 2.8 | $89,095 |
More: South Carolina statewide numbers · Sex-offender registry search (U.S. Justice Department, NSOPW)
Where do these numbers come from?
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting 2021-2025 (agency level, Return A), averaged and summed by county by Map the Block; Census population; state and national rates: FBI estimated crimes 2021-2025.
- Income, housing, education: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, table B19013 (median household income) and related tables.
- Monthly unemployment: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), county data, not seasonally adjusted. Public domain.
- Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county scores; disasters: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
- Superfund: U.S. EPA, Superfund site boundaries and NPL status (October 2026). Dams: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Inventory of Dams (public map service, October 2026). Chemical releases: U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory, reporting year 2024 (basic data file).
- Air and water: U.S. EPA AirData, annual AQI by county 2024; EPA Air Quality Design Values 2023-2025 (June 2026); U.S. EPA SDWIS via ECHO drinking-water download (September 30, 2026). Traffic deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2024; Census population.
- Work zones: State departments of transportation, via the U.S. DOT Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) and state 511 feeds; refreshed every morning (snapshot October 11, 2026).
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE public school locations 2024-25; budgets: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2024; National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE Private School geocodes (Private School Survey 2023-24). Nursing homes: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Nursing Home Provider Information and Penalties (September 2026). Stations: U.S. Geological Survey, National Structures Dataset (Fire Stations/EMS Stations), October 2026 pull.
- Parks: USGS Protected Areas Database of the U.S. (PAD-US 4.1); state park agencies' open data (CA, NY, PA, TN, TX, FL, NJ, KY, HI, UT, MT and others); OpenStreetMap contributors for some hours, phones, fees and camping; U.S. National Park Service: unit boundaries (Land Resources Division), Acreage Report (Sept 30, 2026), park pages on nps.gov (hours, fees), Visitor Use Statistics (2025).
Map the Block shows public statistics about places, not people, and does not rate or rank neighborhoods as places to live. Figures are as published by each source; check the source before relying on a number.
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