Cherokee County, North Carolina
County seat: Murphy · Population 30,830 (2025) · 456 sq mi
Cherokee County is the 71st most populous of North Carolina's 100 counties, with 30,830 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Murphy. It is part of the Western Region region, one of the 8 Prosperity Zones of North Carolina. The map shows its 2 cities and towns and the 7 neighboring counties.
Cherokee County facts
- County seat
- Murphy
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 30,830 +7.2% since 2020
- Land area
- 456 sq mi 52nd largest of 100
- Water area
- 11 sq mi
- Population density
- 68 per sq mi
- Established
- 1839
- Same name
- One of 8 Cherokee Counties in the US
- Named after
- Cherokee Native American people indigenous to the Southeastern United States
- Largest city
- Murphy 1,808
- Median household income
- $53,628
- Cities and towns
- 2 plus 1 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 4
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 37039
Cities and towns in Cherokee County
Cherokee County has 2 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Cherokee County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murphy (county seat) | Town | 1,808 | |
| Andrews | Town | 1,799 |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| Marble | 472 |
ZIP codes in Cherokee County
4 ZIP codes reach into Cherokee County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 28901
- 28902 also Clay County
- 28905
- 28906 also Clay County
Population of Cherokee County, 2020–2025
Cherokee County grew by 2,057 people (+7.2%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 1,043 more deaths than births and a net gain of 3,095 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 28,866 |
| 2021 | 29,199 |
| 2022 | 29,539 |
| 2023 | 30,035 |
| 2024 | 30,415 |
| 2025 | 30,830 |
Neighboring counties
- Graham County northeast · 8,190 people
- Clay County east · 12,239 people
- Monroe County, Tennessee northwest · 49,730 people
- Polk County, Tennessee west · 18,592 people
- Fannin County, Georgia southwest · 26,111 people
- Macon County east · 39,232 people
- Union County, Georgia south · 27,859 people
Printable Cherokee County map
The PDF is a vector file with real text: it prints sharp on Letter paper and you can search it for a town. The PNG is 2400 pixels wide for slides and documents. Both are free to use with a credit to WhichCounty.
- PDF (Letter) (107 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (82 KB)
Paste this code to embed the map on your site:
Sources
- Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary Files (1:500,000).
- Population: Census Bureau county and city estimates, Vintage 2025. CDP populations: American Community Survey 2020–2024.
- Places and ZIP codes: Census Bureau 2026 Gazetteer and 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Area relationship files.
- County seat, founding year and name origin: Wikidata (CC0), checked against state sources.
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