Census › South Carolina › Cherokee County
Cherokee County, SC
| Population | 56,647 | B01003 |
|---|---|---|
| Population, 2020 census | 56,216 | P1 |
| Median age | 40.4 | B01002 |
| Under 18 | 22.7% | B01001 |
| 65 and over | 17.5% | B01001 |
| Households | 22,063 | B11001 |
| Foreign born | 3.2% | B05002 |
| Median household income | $50,288 | B19013 |
|---|---|---|
| Median family income | $69,316 | B19113 |
| Per capita income | $27,406 | B19301 |
| Poverty rate | 18.4% | B17001 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.3% | B23025 |
| Civilian labor force | 25,439 | B23025 |
| Mean commute (minutes) | 25.1 | B08013 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 18.4% | B15003 |
|---|
| Housing units | 25,150 | B25001 |
|---|---|---|
| Owner-occupied | 73.8% | B25003 |
| Renters | 26.2% | B25003 |
| Median home value | $142,000 | B25077 |
| Median gross rent | $869 | B25064 |
| White, not Hispanic | 69.7% | B03002 |
|---|---|---|
| Black | 18.7% | B03002 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 5.5% | B03002 |
| Asian | 0.5% | B03002 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.2% | B03002 |
Figures from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates (table codes link to the same table for this area at data.census.gov) and the 2020 census (P1), via IPUMS NHGIS. Estimates for small areas carry wide margins of error; a tract's figures describe its residents, not any one organization.
Against the state: median household income here is 73% of South Carolina's ($69,324); poverty 18.4% against 14.1%; 1.1% of the state's people live here.
Census tracts
Click an area for its page. Circles are FURP records at their ZIP code's center point, sized by how many. Download this map's areas with their census figures: CSV (center points) · GeoJSON (outlines), ready for Datawrapper, Mapshaper or Google My Maps. Outlines: Census TIGER/Line 2026, simplified.
Places in the county
- Gaffney 12,596 · median household income $41,089
- East Gaffney 2,824 · median household income $25,227
- Blacksburg 2,063 · median household income $32,092
- Cherokee Falls 36 · median household income $-666,666,666
FURP records in Cherokee County, SC
| Records | How many | Total | Biggest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonprofits | 464 | $153,714,559 revenue (latest return) | BROAD RIVER ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE INC ($62,308,340) |
| Nonprofit contractors | 22 | $11,709,117 paid by nonprofits | LOWRY UTILITIES LLC ($3,370,646) |
| Colleges and schools | 1 | 1,782 enrollment | Limestone University (1,782) |
| Form D issuers | 1 | $105,000 amount sold | 66 Farms, LLC ($105,000) |
| Political committees | 5 | CAMPBELL FOR CONGRESS COMMITTEE | |
| Form 5500 plan sponsors | 85 | 102 plans | SUMINOE TEXTILE OF AMERICA CORPORATION (5) |
| Open Payments recipients | 104 | $743,489 industry payments | SPECTRUM MEDICAL RESEARCH LLC ($117,398) |
| Patent and trademark owners | 53 | 125 patents and marks | HESS LIGHTING II, INC. (13) |
| Federal award recipients | 1,788 | $254,642,653 federal awards | LIMESTONE UNIVERSITY ($91,696,166) |
| State business registrations | 110 | CAROLINA INDUSTRIAL CONTRACTORS, LLC |
Cross-reference: 464 nonprofits for 56,647 residents is 81.9 per 10,000 people; their latest-year revenue of $153,714,559 is $2,714 per resident, 13.9% of all household income here (households at the median income).
Highest-paid people on nonprofit returns here
| # | Name | Title | Organization | Pay | Year | Times the median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TERRY W MALLARD | PRESIDENT & | BROAD RIVER ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE INC | $742,931 | 2024 | 14.8x |
| 2 | DARRELL PARKER | PRESIDENT (TERM 1/26/23) | LIMESTONE UNIVERSITY | $369,159 | 2022 | 7.3x |
| 3 | CARY JOHNSON | COO | BROAD RIVER ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE INC | $279,149 | 2024 | 5.6x |
| 4 | NATHAN COPELAND | PRESIDENT | LIMESTONE UNIVERSITY | $257,222 | 2024 | 5.1x |
| 5 | JEREMY WHITAKER | CFO | LIMESTONE UNIVERSITY | $243,971 | 2024 | 4.9x |
| 6 | MICHAEL FURREY | HEAD FOOTBALL COACH | LIMESTONE UNIVERSITY | $242,056 | 2023 | 4.8x |
| 7 | STACY ALDRICH | VP FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT | LIMESTONE UNIVERSITY | $230,857 | 2024 | 4.6x |
| 8 | JOHN B FOWLER | VP-MEMBER SE | BROAD RIVER ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE INC | $229,641 | 2024 | 4.6x |
| 9 | ANDREW ALLSBROOK | CSO-CHIEF ST | BROAD RIVER ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE INC | $226,105 | 2024 | 4.5x |
| 10 | MONICA BALOGA | PRESIDENT (THRU 9/9/2023) | LIMESTONE UNIVERSITY | $226,027 | 2023 | 4.5x |
Each person's latest year on a 990 at a nonprofit placed here (reported pay including related organizations and other compensation); people paid under $50,000 are left out. The median household income here is $50,288.
Nonprofits: biggest by revenue (latest return)
- BROAD RIVER ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE INC Cowpens, SC · $62,308,340
- LIMESTONE UNIVERSITY Gaffney, SC · $46,519,696
- CHEROKEE COUNTY CHARTER SCHOOL Gaffney, SC · $9,812,305
- GRASSY POND WATER COMPANY INC Gaffney, SC · $5,781,487
- GOUCHER CHARTER SCHOOL Gaffney, SC · $3,935,419
- THE FULLERTON FOUNDATION INC Gaffney, SC · $2,763,948
- BROWN FAMILY FOUNDATION Gaffney, SC · $2,675,013
- CHEROKEE NATIONAL GOLF & RECREATION CLUB INC Gaffney, SC · $1,356,922
- CAROLINA POODLE RESCUE Pacolet, SC · $1,196,754
- CHEROKEE COUNTY FAMILY YOUNG MENS CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION INC Gaffney, SC · $1,161,706
Nonprofit contractors: biggest by paid by nonprofits
- LOWRY UTILITIES LLC Gaffney, SC · $3,370,646
- LOWRY UTILITIES INC - 3142 UNION Gaffney, SC · $1,444,947
- MCDANIEL CONSTRUCTION Blacksburg, SC · $1,010,973
- DK MASON CONSTRUCTION CO LLC Gaffney, SC · $829,751
- CLINE BRANDT KOCHENOWER & CO PA Gaffney, SC · $612,167
- QUALITY INSPECTION SERVICES Pacelot, SC · $555,727
- LOWRY UTILITIES INC - 314 UNION HWY Gaffney, SC · $544,768
- CLINE BRANDT KOCHENOWER Gaffney, SC · $507,718
- BOGANS POWER LUBE AND TIRE Cowpens, SC · $474,335
- SOSSAMON CONSTRUCTION Gaffney, SC · $444,527
Colleges and schools: biggest by enrollment
- Limestone University Gaffney, SC · 1,782
Form D issuers: biggest by amount sold
- 66 Farms, LLC Blacksburg, SC · $105,000
Political committees
- CAMPBELL FOR CONGRESS COMMITTEE Gaffney, SC
- KEN HOLLAND COMMITTEE Gaffney, SC
- KNIGHTSFORUSSENATESC2020 Cowpens, SC
- SPENCER FOR CONGRESS Gaffney, SC
- SPENCER FOR CONGRESS Gaffney, SC
Form 5500 plan sponsors: biggest by plans
- SUMINOE TEXTILE OF AMERICA CORPORATION Gaffney, SC · 5
- HAMRICKS, INC. Gaffney, SC · 4
- HENRY L. JOLLY, JR., DMD, PC Gaffney, SC · 3
- BODYWORX OF GAFFNEY INC MEDOVA LIFESTYLE HEALTH PLAN Gaffney, SC · 2
- BOYSEN USA, LLC Gaffney, SC · 2
- BROWN PACKING CO., INC. Gaffney, SC · 2
- HAMRICK MILLS, INC. Gaffney, SC · 2
- J. GRADY RANDOLPH INC. Gaffney, SC · 2
- KARMA HEALTHCARE LLC Blacksburg, SC · 2
- LIMESTONE UNIVERSITY Gaffney, SC · 2
Open Payments recipients: biggest by industry payments
- SPECTRUM MEDICAL RESEARCH LLC Gaffney, SC · $117,398
- Spectrum Medical Research Gaffney, SC · $110,698
- David Richard Erb Gaffney, SC · $97,945
- GREGORY PAUL COLBATH Gaffney, SC · $80,844
- RICKY D. WOLFE Gaffney, SC · $69,600
- Velocity Clinical Research-Gaffney Gaffney, SC · $32,214
- Vitalink Research-Gaffney Gaffney, SC · $29,754
- SPECTRUM MEDICAL RESEARCH, LLC Gaffney, SC · $16,181
- ALFRED R MOSS Gaffney, SC · $14,344
- BTC Network/Spectrum Medical research Gaffney, SC · $12,286
Patent and trademark owners: biggest by patents and marks
- HESS LIGHTING II, INC. Gaffney, SC · 13
- Home Fashions International, LLC Gaffney, SC · 11
- Hamrick's, Inc. Gaffney, SC · 9
- Migra Ammunitions LLC Gaffney, SC · 8
- Preferred Finishing, Inc. Blacksburg, SC · 7
- Superior Bag Manufacturing Company LLC Gaffney, SC · 6
- R & B Marketing Corporation Gaffney, SC · 5
- Brown Packing Co., Inc. Gaffney, SC · 4
- Hamricks, Inc. Gaffney, SC · 4
- HessAmerica Gaffney, SC · 4
Federal award recipients: biggest by federal awards
- LIMESTONE UNIVERSITY Gaffney, SC · $91,696,166
- HOUSING AUTHORITY OF CITY OF GAFFNEY Gaffney, SC · $30,845,715
- MOORHEAD BROTHERS INC Blacksburg, SC · $22,487,204
- LIMESTONE COLLEGE Gaffney, SC · $21,803,089
- COUNTY OF CHEROKEE Gaffney, SC · $12,105,592
- M W CLEARING & GRADING, INC. Blacksburg, SC · $9,040,319
- CV HOUSING PARTNERS, LP Gaffney, SC · $8,461,570
- CAROLINA COTTON WORKS, INC Gaffney, SC · $6,000,000
- CITY OF GAFFNEY Gaffney, SC · $5,021,859
- REDWOOD VILLAGE APARTMENTS, A LIMITED PARTNERSHIP Gaffney, SC · $3,833,318
All 16 tracts
Every tract with its figures is in the CSV and GeoJSON downloads.
| Tract | Population | Median household income | Poverty rate | Median age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Census Tract 9706.01 | 5,298 | $52,027 | 21.5% | 39.7 |
| Census Tract 9702.04 | 4,884 | $86,997 | 14.2% | 43.4 |
| Census Tract 9701.02 | 4,319 | $70,655 | 7.1% | 41.7 |
| Census Tract 9705.02 | 4,270 | $30,938 | 44.8% | 39.2 |
| Census Tract 9703.02 | 4,262 | $27,838 | 41.9% | 41.4 |
| Census Tract 9702.01 | 4,030 | $37,785 | 24.1% | 31.9 |
| Census Tract 9703.01 | 3,791 | $46,813 | 11.0% | 34.3 |
| Census Tract 9707 | 3,571 | $49,761 | 14.5% | 40.6 |
| Census Tract 9701.01 | 3,537 | $58,864 | 8.4% | 44.3 |
| Census Tract 9704.01 | 3,417 | $47,250 | 21.6% | 43.0 |
| Census Tract 9702.03 | 3,246 | $61,389 | 8.1% | 35.0 |
| Census Tract 9704.04 | 3,114 | $48,154 | 13.5% | 43.1 |
| Census Tract 9704.03 | 3,090 | $58,310 | 12.4% | 37.8 |
| Census Tract 9705.01 | 2,347 | $48,098 | 12.7% | 44.2 |
| Census Tract 9706.02 | 2,276 | $58,542 | 8.7% | 49.5 |
| Census Tract 9705.03 | 1,195 | $39,274 | 12.6% | 39.1 |
Census figures are from IPUMS NHGIS: the American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates (ACS table codes shown with each figure) and the 2020 decennial census (Demographic and Housing Characteristics), by state, county, place and census tract. FURP records are placed by ZIP code (the Census Bureau's 2020 ZCTA-to-county and ZCTA-to-tract relationship files: the county or tract holding most of the ZIP's land) and by city name (Census place names, normalized), so a record's tract is its ZIP's main tract, not its street's. Cite: Jonathan Schroeder, David Van Riper, Steven Manson, Grace Cooper, Zachary Krause, Tracy Kugler, Tsu Zhu, and Steven Ruggles. IPUMS National Historical Geographic Information System: Version 21.0 [dataset]. Minneapolis, MN: IPUMS. 2026. http://doi.org/10.18128/D050.V21.0