About one in 15 people in Cherokee County, Georgia, lives below the poverty line
In Cherokee County, 6.8% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cherokee County's score
In Cherokee County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 56.3. Jobs are the lowest part, at 12.3. Unemployment averaged 2.8%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cherokee County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Even so, Cherokee County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (25.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 56.3 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent25.9% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.2% · fiscal year 202723rd percentile
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- 51.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.9% · August 202534th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people177.9 · 202569th percentile
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- 22.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.3% · August 202529th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.6% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score29.2% · second quarter of 202611th percentile
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- 17.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line6.8% · 20243rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line7.1% · 20243rd percentile
- People with a disability10.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- People without health insurance10.4% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$116,493 · 20242nd percentile
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- 12.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20268th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.0% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Cherokee County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Cherokee County, 15.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cherokee County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Cherokee County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 14.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Cherokee County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 14.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cherokee County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.1% in 2012 to 6.7% in 2013.
The share of households in Cherokee County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 2.4% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Cherokee County, Georgia.
How Cherokee County has changed
Cherokee County's population had its largest rise, from 173,105 in 2004 to 212,232 in 2009.
Cherokee County's population grew to about ten times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 293,513, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 39,288. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cherokee County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in Cherokee County had its largest rise, from 53,283 in 2015 to 64,357 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Cherokee County grew to about five times its 1990 size in 2025, reaching 73,868, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 43,563. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cherokee County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.1% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.2% | 2024 6.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $37,832 | 2024 $116,493 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Cherokee County's history
1831
Created December 26, 1831 by Georgia General Assembly. Wikipedia
1832
Cherokee Land Lottery of 1832 redistributed Cherokee lands to white male citizens. Wikipedia
1864
Canton was burned by Union Army between November 1-5, 1864. Wikipedia
2008
A tornado in May 2008 did $46 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flood in September 2009 did $44.52 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in September 2011 did $17 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 266,620, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2024
A thunderstorm in July 2024 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cherokee County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cherokee County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Cherokee County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cherokee County ranks 4th of the seven; Pickens County is highest, at 23.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bartow County, GA | 64 | 10.7% | 21.4% |
| Fulton County, GA | 61 | 11.3% | 8.9% |
| Pickens County, GA | 49 | 9.2% | 23.8% |
| Cobb County, GA | 44 | 8.7% | 12.3% |
| Dawson County, GA | 28 | 8.0% | 17.9% |
| Cherokee County, GA | 19 | 6.8% | 14.3% |
| Forsyth County, GA | 4 | 4.5% | 8.2% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Cherokee County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Cherokee County's poverty rate was 6.8% in 2024, 154th highest of 159 in Georgia (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Calhoun County, at 36.8%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Cherokee County ranks 157th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cherokee County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Georgia Legal Services Program
Legal aid
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Georgia Legal Aid
Legal help website
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Cherokee County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Cherokee County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.