† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupCherokeeIowaUnited States
German41.8%30.5%12.5%
Irish10.5%12.8%9.4%
English9.1%10.2%9.5%
Swedish7.8%1.9%—
American3.6%4.6%5.3%
Norwegian3.2%4.1%—
Dutch3.0%2.7%—
Danish2.5%——
Mexican3.4%5.0%11.3%
Cuban2.2%—0.7%
Panamanian1.2%——
African American†2.1%2.6%9.9%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Cherokee
Iowa
United States
Median age
43.2
38.8
39.1
Age 18–24
5.7%
10.0%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
23.0%
18.1%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Cherokee
Iowa
United States
Median household income
$61,750
$75,059
$84,427
Poverty rate
18.5%
11.1%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
24.6%
31.8%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Cherokee
Iowa
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
9.0%
9.2%
22.3%
Spanish
7.5%
4.7%
13.6%
Religious landscape
Measure
Cherokee
Iowa
United States
Catholic
—
14.7%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
10.9%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
55.2%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Cherokee, Iowa
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+1.9%
2008
+5.6%
2012
−1.4%
2016
−27.1%
2020
−26.4%
2024
−53.5%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
R
22.6%Harris639
76.1%Trump2,152
1.3%
R+53.5
R+27.1
R+52.0
2,828
R
36.0%Biden928
62.4%Trump1,607
1.6%
R+26.4
D+0.8
R+30.8
2,576
R
32.8%Clinton802
59.9%Trump1,466
7.4%
R+27.1
R+25.7
R+29.2
2,448
R
48.4%Obama1,234
49.8%Romney1,271
1.8%
R+1.4
R+7.0
R+5.3
2,552
D
51.7%Obama1,340
46.1%McCain1,195
2.2%
D+5.6
D+3.7
R+1.7
2,592
D
50.2%Kerry1,419
48.3%Bush1,366
1.6%
D+1.9
—
D+4.3
2,829
Cherokee anchors Cherokee County, a historically competitive area that has shifted decisively toward Republican margins over the past two decades as rural deindustrialization reshaped voter priorities.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 5.6 points in 2008 and a Republican high of 53.5 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 27.1 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 53.5 points.
A population of 5,154, a 90% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $61,750 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Estherville and Spirit Lake.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, Cherokee, Iowa voted Republican by 53.5 points (R+53.5), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 2,828 votes cast, 639 went Democratic and 2,152 went Republican.
When did Cherokee, Iowa last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Cherokee, Iowa voted Democratic was 2008.
How many people live in Cherokee, Iowa?
Cherokee, Iowa has a population of 5,154 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Cherokee, Iowa?
Median household income in Cherokee, Iowa is $61,750 — below the national median of $80,734. The Iowa state median is $75,059.
What is the political history of Cherokee, Iowa?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Cherokee, Iowa from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 2 went Democratic and 4 went Republican.
