County outline
Where Cherokee County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 92.3% of Cherokee County’s measured area and water for 7.7%. Its combined area converts to 1,553.9 square kilometers or approximately 383,985 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 553.615 | 1,433.856 | 354,313.6 |
| Water | 46.362 | 120.077 | 29,671.7 |
| Total | 599.977 | 1,553.933 | 383,985.3 |
How Cherokee County compares
By original Census land area, Cherokee County ranks #66 of 67 in Alabama and #1880 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.824 times the Alabama county-equivalent median of 672.1 square miles. It accounts for 1.1% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Alabama ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Cherokee County
The Census Bureau estimates that 26,413 people lived in Cherokee County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,604 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #40 of 67 in Alabama. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 24,981, the population has grown by 1,432 (+5.7%), compared with +3.3% for Alabama as a whole.
With 553.6 square miles of land, that is 48 people per square mile (18 per km²), placing Cherokee County #1,602 nationally for density and #36 in Alabama. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Alabama median is 49. Put another way, there are about 13 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 24,978 | 25,056 | 25,318 | 25,650 | 26,088 | 26,413 |
| Change | — | +78 | +262 | +332 | +438 | +325 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Cherokee County
7 incorporated places lie at least partly in Cherokee County. Together they are home to 7,651 people (29%); the other 18,762 (71%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Centre city, with 3,912 residents in the county. Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Centre city grew fastest since then (+8.8%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centre cityCounty seat | 3,912 | +8.8% | 11.7 |
| Cedar Bluff town | 1,948 | +6.3% | 4.814 |
| Leesburg town | 1,009 | +4.6% | 6.301 |
| Sand Rock townAlso in 1 other county | 589 | +4.8% | 5.071 |
| Gaylesville town | 181 | +3.4% | 1.387 |
| Collinsville cityAlso in 1 other county | 12 | 0% | 3.345 |
| Piedmont cityAlso in 1 other county | 0 | — | 9.825 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Cherokee County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Cherokee County is not part of any metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area in the Office of Management and Budget’s July 2023 delineation; 1,306 other county equivalents are also outside one. These areas are built around an urban core of at least 10,000 people plus the counties tied to it by commuting, so counties outside them are generally rural.
ZIP codes
11 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Cherokee County; 4 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
3016535901359033595935960359613596735973359833598436272
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Cherokee County
Cherokee County shares a land border with 7 county equivalents, including 3 in Georgia. It has more land than 4 of them. The largest neighbor is DeKalb County (777.1 mi²) and the smallest is Polk County (310.3 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Cherokee County forms a block of 4,165.3 mi² of land, of which it holds 13.3%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Cherokee | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeKalb County | 777.1 | 1.4× larger | Compare |
| Calhoun County | 605.9 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Cleburne County | 560.1 | about the same | Compare |
| Etowah County | 535.1 | about the same | Compare |
| Floyd CountyGeorgia | 509.8 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Chattooga CountyGeorgia | 313.3 | 1.8× smaller | Compare |
| Polk CountyGeorgia | 310.3 | 1.8× smaller | Compare |
How big is Cherokee County compared with U.S. states?
Cherokee County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.9 times as much. Alabama’s county land could hold about 91 areas the size of Cherokee County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 23.5 miles (37.9 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Cherokee County?
Cherokee County has more land than 1,342 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Cherokee County at #1,744 nationally by total area, 136 places closer to the top than its land rank. The water assigned to this geography moves it ahead of some county equivalents with more land.
Its water share is 7.7%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 6.6 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Cherokee County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1879 | Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut | 553.9 | Compare |
| #1880 | Cherokee County, Alabama | 553.6 | This county |
| #1881 | Haywood County, North Carolina | 553.6 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 34.305264, -85.554226. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 1,433,855,389 m²; AWATER: 120,076,272 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Cherokee County?
Cherokee County, Alabama has 553.6 square miles (1,433.9 km²) of land and 46.4 square miles of water, for a total area of 600 square miles. It ranks #1880 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Cherokee County the largest county in Alabama?
No. Cherokee County ranks #66 of 67 in Alabama by land area. The largest is Baldwin County, with 1,589.9 square miles of land.
What counties border Cherokee County?
Cherokee County shares a land border with DeKalb County, Etowah County, Chattooga County, Georgia, Floyd County, Georgia, Calhoun County, Polk County, Georgia, and Cleburne County.
What is the population of Cherokee County?
The Census Bureau estimates Cherokee County had 26,413 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,604 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 48 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Cherokee County?
The county seat of Cherokee County is Centre.
What cities and towns are in Cherokee County?
Cherokee County has 7 incorporated places. The most populous five are Centre city, Cedar Bluff town, Leesburg town, Sand Rock town, and Gaylesville town; 18,762 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Cherokee County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Cherokee County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Cherokee County?
11 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Cherokee County, and 4 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Cherokee County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.9 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Cherokee County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 354,314 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 383,985 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.