Cherokee County, South Carolina

Cherokee County
County
Limestone College at Limestone Springs Historic District in Gaffney
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of South Carolina
South Carolina's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°03′N 81°37′W / 35.05°N 81.61°W / 35.05; -81.61
Country	United States
State	South Carolina
Founded	1897
Named for	Cherokee Indians
Seat	Gaffney
Largest community	Gaffney
Area
• Total	397.47 sq mi (1,029.4 km2)
• Land	392.96 sq mi (1,017.8 km2)
• Water	4.51 sq mi (11.7 km2)  1.13%
Population  (2020)
• Total	56,216
• Estimate  (2023)	56,714
• Density	143.06/sq mi (55.24/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	5th
Website	www.cherokeecountysc.com

Cherokee County is a county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 56,216.^[1] The county seat is Gaffney.^[2] The county was formed in 1897 from parts of York, Union, and Spartanburg counties. It was named for the Cherokee people who historically occupied this area prior to European encounter.^[3]

Cherokee County comprises the Gaffney, SC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC Combined Statistical Area.