County · Kansas

Cherokee County, Kansas

Cherokee County, Kansas. Cherokee County had 19,105 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 1.3% since 2020, while Kansas grew 1.3%. It holds 26 places (8 cities, villages and boroughs, 14 towns and townships and 4 census-designated) and 6 census tracts. GEOID 20021.

Cherokee County is one of the 3 counties of the Joplin, MO-KS metropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

19,105

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 19,362 · ACS 2020-2024: 19,151

Median household income

$57,668

±$6,110 (90% margin)
Kansas: $74,275

Median home value

$100,100

±$8,948 (90% margin)
Kansas: $217,200

Median gross rent

$799

±$55 (90% margin)
Kansas: $1,060

How many people live in Cherokee County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 19,362 residents in Cherokee County. The Census Bureau estimates 19,105 for July 1, 2025, down 1.3% since 2020, while Kansas grew 1.3%. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 19,151 over 588 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −115 (19,188)
2021→2022 −140 (19,048)
2022→2023 +40 (19,088)
2023→2024 +79 (19,167)
2024→2025 −62 (19,105)

Cherokee County in Kansas. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Cherokee County	Kansas	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	19,151	2,947,197	−1,028
Households	7,887±231	1,174,060	no clear change
Average household size	2.40±0.07	2.44	no clear change
Housing units	9,129±26	1,293,635	−746

Cherokee County's population since 2000

From 22,605 in 2000 to 19,105 in 2025: down 15.5%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

2000 Census 22,605
2005 (estimate) 21,750
2010 Census 21,603
2015 (estimate) 20,552
2020 Census 19,362
2025 (estimate) 19,105

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Cherokee County?

Cherokee County holds 26 places: 8 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places), 14 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government) and 4 census-designated places. The largest is Baxter Springs with 3,823 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Cherokee County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Baxter Springs	city	3,888	3,855±22	$51,404	$92,900	24.3%	100%
Columbus	city	2,929	2,881±24	$37,961	$94,100	21.3%	100%
Galena	city	2,761	2,754±14	$49,006	$78,500	13.0%	100%
Garden Township, Cherokee County	township	2,731	2,721±16	$86,074	$147,400	4.2%	100%
Spring Valley Township, Cherokee County	township	1,028	1,241±344	$86,429	$136,600	13.8%	100%
RivertonGEOID 2060200	CDP	771	769±290	$90,365	$144,000	0.0%	100%
Lowell TownshipGEOID 2002143075	township	663	629±266	$85,664	$81,300	8.7%	100%
Ross Township, Cherokee County	township	650	812±238	$63,636	$82,200	12.2%	100%
Pleasant View TownshipGEOID 2002156675	township	585	294±108	$61,111	$161,600	15.3%	100%
Crawford Township, Cherokee CountyGEOID 2002116225	township	579	784±257	$63,929	$196,600	7.3%	100%
Weir	city	569	855±317	$58,828	$78,300	9.9%	100%
Shawnee TownshipGEOID 2002164475	township	545	472±271	$33,925	$73,500	2.5%	100%
Salamanca TownshipGEOID 2002162575	township	493	181±89	$90,938	$219,400	0.0%	100%
Scammon	city	376	371±95	$55,833	$69,500	11.1%	100%
Lyon Township, Cherokee CountyGEOID 2002143400	township	328	401±150	$75,500	$81,700	11.2%	100%
Cherokee Township, Cherokee CountyGEOID 2002112800	township	320	226±113	$41,285	$158,200	0.0%	100%
Lola TownshipGEOID 2002142350	township	288	321±128	$77,857	$347,800	20.2%	100%
LowellGEOID 2043050	CDP	244	278±130	$90,806	$103,600	0.0%	100%
Neosho Township, Cherokee CountyGEOID 2002149725	township	225	72±47	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Mineral TownshipGEOID 2002147000	township	203	53±51	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Sheridan Township, Cherokee CountyGEOID 2002164625	township	201	228±160	$73,841	$216,900	3.5%	100%
West MineralGEOID 2077150	city	154	154±68	$35,417	$42,900	7.8%	100%
CrestlineGEOID 2016325	CDP	116	139±163	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
HallowellGEOID 2029550	CDP	101	39±32	not published	$58,300	0.0%	100%
RoselandGEOID 2061275	city	76	63±38	$41,528	not published	11.1%	100%
Oswego	city	1,668	1,937±224	$53,750	$82,700	22.8%	0%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Cherokee County?

The median resident of Cherokee County is 42.2 years old; 22.7% are under 18 and 20.2% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 85.3%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 7.4%. 1.3% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Cherokee County	Kansas	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	42.2±0.8	37.4	no clear change
Under 18 years	22.7%	23.8%	–
65 years and over	20.2%±0.4 pts	17.0%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	3.0%	13.6%	+0.4 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	85.3%±0.9 pts	72.7%	−2.7 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	0.8%±0.4 pts	5.2%	–
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.5%±0.4 pts	2.9%	–
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	2.0%±0.7 pts	0.4%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.2 pts	0.1%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	7.4%±0.9 pts	4.8%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.7%±0.9 pts	0.4%	–
Born outside the United States	1.3%±0.6 pts	7.4%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	2.1%±0.8 pts	12.1%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	6.3%±1.2 pts	6.8%	–
With a disability	18.6%±1.9 pts	13.5%	–
No health insurance coverage	11.4%±1.8 pts	8.8%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	89.4%±2.3 pts	92.0%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	19.4%±2.6 pts	35.6%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	6.0%±1.3 pts	13.4%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	2.5%±1.1 pts	3.0%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Cherokee County earn?

Half of Cherokee County's 7,887 households earn less than $57,668 a year (±$6,110), against $74,275 in Kansas. In 2015-2019 it was $53,135 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 14.1% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Cherokee County	Kansas	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$57,668±$6,110	$74,275	no clear change
Mean household income	$69,822±$4,419	$100,417	–
Per capita income	$29,963±$1,839	$40,978	no clear change
People below the poverty line	14.1%±2.6 pts	11.3%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	11.5%±4.2 pts	13.1%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	13.1%±2.7 pts	6.8%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	87.0%±2.5 pts	90.7%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Cherokee County?

Owners occupy 75.5% of Cherokee County's occupied homes and renters 24.5%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $100,100 by its owner (±$8,948). The median renter pays $799 a month including utilities, and 35.5% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Cherokee County	Kansas	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$100,100±$8,948	$217,200	no clear change
Median gross rent	$799±$55	$1,060	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	35.5%±10.0 pts	34.5%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,155±$64	$1,689	–
Owner-occupied homes	75.5%±3.3 pts	67.2%	no clear change
Housing units	9,129±26	1,293,635	−746
Homeowner vacancy rate	1.1%±0.8 pts	0.9%	–
Rental vacancy rate	8.9%±7.3 pts	6.2%	–
Single-family detached homes	82.5%±2.5 pts	71.8%	–
Mobile homes	9.9%±2.0 pts	4.0%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.8%±0.7 pts	1.4%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	30.7%±3.0 pts	15.4%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How many new homes is Cherokee County building?

Builders took permits for 19 new housing units across Cherokee County in 2025 (17 single-family), 1.0 per 1,000 residents.

2019 15 units
2020 19 units
2021 6 units
2022 11 units
2023 8 units
2024 14 units
2025 19 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Cherokee County get to work?

84.2% of Cherokee County's workers drive alone and 5.0% work from home. The average trip to work takes 20.0 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 3.3%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Cherokee County	Kansas	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	60.8%±2.5 pts	66.1%	–
Unemployment rate	3.3%±1.2 pts	3.9%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	84.2%±2.5 pts	75.4%	–
Carpooled	8.7%±2.2 pts	8.7%	–
Public transportation	0.0%±0.3 pts	0.4%	–
Walked	0.8%±0.5 pts	2.3%	–
Worked from home	5.0%±1.6 pts	11.8%	no clear change
Mean travel time to work	20.0 min±1.1	19.7 min	no clear change

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What are Cherokee County's census tracts?

Cherokee County is divided into 6 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $41,193 (Tract 9583) to $73,759 (Tract 9582).

Census tracts of Cherokee County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 958120021958100	Weir (17%)	2,597	2,536±354	$57,019	$99,700	$1,103	12.1%
Tract 958220021958200	West Mineral (7%)	1,901	1,706±265	$73,759	$163,100	$863	9.1%
Tract 958320021958300	Columbus (68%)	3,585	3,317±226	$41,193	$103,300	$780	18.7%
Tract 958420021958400	Lowell (11%)	3,606	3,860±447	$73,393	$133,400	$1,106	7.2%
Tract 958520021958500	Galena (78%)	3,479	3,346±229	$57,308	$81,800	$761	10.9%
Tract 958620021958600	Baxter Springs (84%)	4,194	4,386±249	$53,204	$92,200	$754	22.3%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Cherokee County compare with Kansas's other counties?

Cherokee County's rank among Kansas's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	28th of 105
Growth 2020-2025	48th of 105
Residents per square mile	22nd of 105
Median household income	87th of 105
Median home value	77th of 105
Median gross rent	47th of 104
Poverty rate	24th of 102
Bachelor's degree or higher	96th of 105
Median age	46th of 105

Every county in Kansas

Source: PlainCities ranks from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Cherokee County are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.