Cherokee County, Iowa: commercial real estate data.
Cherokee County, Iowa had an estimated 11,658 residents on July 1, 2024, up 0.0 percent since the 2020 census base of 11,658, across 577 square miles. County output reached $1.09 bn in 2024, 340 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 5 7(a) approvals worth $2.0 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Cherokee County
How many people live in Cherokee County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202411,600
- Households5,045
- Average household size2.30
- Median household income$71,269
- Median age44.0
- Median gross rent$758 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$158,700
- Home value to household income2.2 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income12.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher23.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree8.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over8,321
- Population under 182,575
- Share under 1822.2 percent
- Population 65 and over2,885
- Share 65 and over24.9 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 646,140
- Civilian labor force6,150
- Unemployment rate2.5 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over68.1 percent
- Rank by population among Iowa counties66th of 99
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2384th of 3,222
Cherokee County is the 66th largest of 99 Iowa counties by population. A median home costs 2.2 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 24.9 percent against 22.2 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single story product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Cherokee County
Is Cherokee County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 202411,658
- Census 2020 base population11,658
- Population change since the 2020 census base0.00 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 20246
- Births, 2024118
- Deaths, 2024174
- Natural change, 2024-56
- Net domestic migration, 2024-2
- Net international migration, 202465
- Total net migration, 202463
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024104
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1821st of 3,144
The county has grown 0.00 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024 and the population still grew, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Cherokee County
Where are people moving to Cherokee County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving270
- People arriving, from those returns505
- Tax returns filed by households leaving254
- Net household movement16
- Adjusted gross income arriving$14.2 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$-1.8 m
- Average income of an arriving household$52,667
- Average income of a leaving household$63,047
- Largest single originBuena Vista County (36 households)
- Largest single destinationBuena Vista County (29 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buena Vista County | 36 | 66 | $1.5 m |
| Woodbury County | 31 | 45 | $1.1 m |
Households arriving report $10,380 less average income than households leaving, which drains spending power even where headcount holds up. The largest single source of arrivals is Buena Vista County, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Cherokee County
What is the Cherokee County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$1.09 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.01 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20247.3 percent
- GDP change over five years65.6 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Iowa areas BEA publishes50th of 99
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes1776th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$93,687
Output grew 7.3 percent in the latest year and 65.6 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Cherokee County
Employment by industry in Cherokee County
- Covered employment, annual average4,858
- Establishments reporting452
- Average annual pay$50,452
- Average weekly wage$970
- Health care and social assistance, employment833
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$48,206
- Retail trade, employment508
- Retail trade, average annual pay$32,802
- Transportation and warehousing, employment498
- Transportation and warehousing, average annual pay$66,492
- Manufacturing, employment426
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$61,257
- Accommodation and food services, employment297
- Construction, employment243
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 833 | 46 | $48,206 |
| Retail trade | 508 | 46 | $32,802 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 498 | 24 | $66,492 |
| Manufacturing | 426 | 20 | $61,257 |
| Accommodation and food services | 297 | 25 | $14,153 |
| Construction | 243 | 49 | $60,657 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 168 | 38 | $52,147 |
| Finance and insurance | 142 | 25 | $68,352 |
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 833 jobs, 17.1 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Cherokee County
How many businesses are in Cherokee County?
- Establishments, all industries340
- Employment at those establishments4,505
- Annual payroll$203.2 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents29.3
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Cherokee County
Building permits in Cherokee County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 202471
- Declared construction value permitted$11.0 m
- Single family units authorized15
- Multifamily units authorized56
- Multifamily share of units78.9 percent
- Average declared value per unit$154,924
- Units authorized per 1,000 households14.1
Multifamily is 78.9 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Cherokee County
SBA loans in Cherokee County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded5
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$2.0 m
- Average 7(a) approval$403,920
- Median 7(a) approval$274,700
- Largest single approval$767,400
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)37
- Jobs per approval7.4
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active3
- Distinct industries receiving approvals5
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer0.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms0
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter5
- Franchise loans1
- Franchise share of approvals20.0 percent
- 504 approvals recorded6
- 504 gross approval dollars$1.8 m
- Average 504 approval$302,167
- Median 504 approval$287,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval1.3
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved4.4
- Most active CDCSiouxland Economic Development Corporation (4)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$3.8 m
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Cherokee County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Cherokee County
Do SBA loans in Cherokee County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded1
- Paid in full1
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full1
- Status: Cancelled1
- Status: Exempt from disclosure2
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed1
Only 1 loan has reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Cherokee County
How large is Cherokee County?
- Land area577 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Iowa counties36th of 99
- Width, east to west24 mi
- Height, north to south24.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land20
- Establishments per square mile0.59
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Cherokee County
Flood risk in Cherokee County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Cherokee County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 190854
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book6
- Of those, participating in the NFIP5
- NFIP participation rate83.3 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Cherokee County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Cherokee County (community 190854), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Cherokee County in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 83.3 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Cherokee County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Cherokee County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202411,600
- Households5,045
- Average household size2.30
- Median household income$71,269
- Median age44.0
Common questions
Cherokee County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Cherokee County, Iowa?
The Census Bureau estimates 11,658 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 11,600, in 5,045 households, ranking 66th of 99 Iowa counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Cherokee County's population growing?
The population has grown 0.00 percent since the 2020 census base of 11,658, to 11,658 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 118 births against 174 deaths, with net migration of 63. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Cherokee County?
$71,269. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $158,700, which is 2.2 times income, and median gross rent is $758 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Cherokee County?
340 establishments, employing 4,505 people with an annual payroll of $203.2 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Cherokee County?
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 833 jobs, 17.1 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 4,858 jobs at an average annual pay of $50,452, or $970 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Cherokee County?
5 7(a) approvals totaling $2.0 m since FY2020, across 3 lenders, with a median approval of $274,700, plus 6 504 approvals worth $1.8 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Cherokee County?
71 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $11.0 m. Multifamily was 78.9 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Cherokee County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Cherokee County come from?
The largest single origin is Buena Vista County, with 36 households. Arriving households report an average income of $52,667 against $63,047 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Cherokee County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Cherokee County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Cherokee County
Cities and places in Cherokee.
8 Census places lie wholly or partly in Cherokee County. All 8 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee | city | 5,154 | 5 | Wholly in this county |
| Marcus | city | 1,180 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Aurelia | city | 991 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Quimby | city | 286 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Cleghorn | city | 271 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Washta | city | 180 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Larrabee | city | 147 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Meriden | city | 138 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
Nearby