Unemployment in Cherokee County, South Carolina, is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties
In Cherokee County, 5.8% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 82% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cherokee County's score
In Cherokee County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 88.8. Jobs come next, at 84.4.
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.
Cherokee County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.6%, fiscal year 2027) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (88.2, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.8 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.0% · August 202584th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.0% · August 202591st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score55.8% · second quarter of 202690th percentile
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- 84.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202691st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.7% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
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- 72.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.4% · 202472nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.1% · 202472nd percentile
- People with a disability17.9% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- People without health insurance10.5% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,070 · 202477th percentile
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- 60.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector37.6% · August 202590th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people88.2 · 202530th percentile
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- 39.4 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent18.3% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.6% · fiscal year 202727th 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, 17.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cherokee County
South Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Cherokee County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 32.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Cherokee County, South Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 32.6%; 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 14.4% in 2009 to 17.2% in 2010.
The share of households in Cherokee County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 14.0% in 2023. 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, South Carolina.
How Cherokee County has changed
Cherokee County's population had its largest rise, from 47,477 in 1994 to 51,956 in 1999.
Cherokee County's population rose by more than half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 57,770, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2014 to 2019, reaching 56,272. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cherokee County, South Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Cherokee County had its largest rise, from 19,079 in 1995 to 21,036 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Cherokee County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 21,036 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cherokee County, South Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.7% | 2025 5.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.0% | 2024 16.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,175 | 2024 $57,070 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Cherokee County's history
1897
Formed in 1897 from parts of York, Union, and Spartanburg counties. Wikipedia
1973
A tornado in May 1973 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
Textile industry was backbone of county economy until the 1980s when uptown languished after Interstate 85 construction. Wikipedia
1989
A tornado in May 1989 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A thunderstorm in July 2013 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 56,216, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2022
A thunderstorm in May 2022 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cherokee County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cherokee County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Cherokee County, in South Carolina and North Carolina, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cherokee County ranks 4th of the six; Union County is highest, at 40.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union County, SC | 91 | 18.7% | 40.1% |
| Cherokee County, SC | 82 | 16.4% | 32.6% |
| Cleveland County, NC | 80 | 16.3% | 33.4% |
| Rutherford County, NC | 75 | 14.8% | 37.0% |
| Spartanburg County, SC | 66 | 12.5% | 22.1% |
| York County, SC | 42 | 8.8% | 17.1% |
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 South Carolina?
No, Cherokee County's poverty rate was 16.4% in 2024, 24th highest of 46 in South Carolina (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Allendale County, at 31.6%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Cherokee County ranks 21st of 46 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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South Carolina Legal Services
Legal aid
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Pro Bono Legal Services — SC Bar
Legal aid
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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.