Who is the Cherokee County Clerk of Court?

Brandy W. McBee is the Clerk of Court of Cherokee County, South Carolina.

Who is the Cherokee County Coroner?

Dennis Fowler is the Coroner of Cherokee County, South Carolina.

Who is the Cherokee County Probate Judge?

Joshua Queen is the Probate Judge of Cherokee County, South Carolina.

Who is the Cherokee County Sheriff?

Steve Mueller is the Sheriff of Cherokee County, South Carolina.

Who are the Cherokee County commissioners?

Elliott Hughes (County Council Member); Timmy Spencer (County Council Member); David Smith (County Council Member); Don- nie Hardin (County Council Member); Teresa Bonner (County Council Member).

What is the population of Cherokee County?

About 56,647 people, with a median age of 40.4; the median household income is $50,288 and 18.4% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Cherokee County?

5.7% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,354 people unemployed in a labor force of 23,726, against 5.8% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Cherokee County?

11 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 2 municipal, 1 school district and 7 special district governments.

What cities and towns are in Cherokee County?

1: Gaffney. Each has its own page with its mayor and council.

Cherokee County, SC elected officials: county council, sheriff, school board and cities

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Cherokee County: 10 seats on 6 elected bodies.

County Council

Cherokee County Council

Office	Who holds it now
County Council Member	Elliott Hughes source
County Council Member	Timmy Spencer source
County Council Member	David Smith source
County Council Member	Don- nie Hardin source
County Council Member	Teresa Bonner source

County officers

Office	Who holds it now
Clerk of Court	Brandy W. McBee source
Coroner	Dennis Fowler source
Probate Judge	Joshua Queen source
Sheriff	Steve Mueller source

Cities and towns

Gaffney · Mayor Lyman Dawkins III · 1 seat

How many local governments Cherokee County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 11 local governments in Cherokee County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.

Kind of government	Census count (2022)	Listed on this page
County government	1	1
Cities, towns, villages and townships	2	1
School districts (school boards)	1	0
Special districts (elected boards)	7	0

Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Government Units Listing (census.gov).

About these counts

The Census Bureau counts every independent local government once, in the county it assigns it to: the one it mostly serves or where it's based. A city or district that crosses county lines is counted in only one county, so it may be listed on this page but counted elsewhere, or the other way around. Many special districts, such as housing authorities, have appointed boards, and some places have more than one elected body, so the two columns measure different things. School systems run by a county, city or the state aren't counted as separate governments, though their boards may be listed here; in some states the Bureau counts community or state colleges as school districts. The counts are as of 2022.

Who lives in Cherokee County

56,647people

40.4median ageU.S.: 38.9

$50,288 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

18.4%below the U.S.: 12.5%

18.4%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$142,000median home valueU.S.: $332,700

6.3%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

3.2%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

7.3%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

10.5%U.S.: 8.4%

45.7%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

26.1%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 5.5% · White 69.7% · Black 18.7% · Asian 0.5% · Other or more than one race 5.6% (Hispanic or Latino people can be of any race; the other groups are non-Hispanic.)

Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates (data.census.gov).

About these figures

The American Community Survey asks about 3.5 million households a year about who lives there, their work, income, schooling and housing. The 5-year estimates pool 2020–2024 answers so that every county and district has enough of them. They're estimates with a (larger for smaller places), and they're different from the once-a-decade census count. "Median" means half are above and half below. Household income is before taxes and includes everyone in the household. The unemployment share here is the survey's five-year average, so it differs from the monthly rate in the BLS jobs report. Race and Hispanic origin are as people describe themselves.

Health insurance means any coverage, private or public (such as Medicaid or Medicare), when people answered; the share is of everyone except people on active military duty and people living in institutions such as prisons and nursing homes. The housing shares are of renting households, and of homeowners with a mortgage, for whom the Census Bureau can compute them (households with no income, or renters who pay no cash rent, are left out). Rent here is gross rent, rent plus utilities; owner costs include the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities and fees.

Jobs in Cherokee County

5.7%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 5.8%. South Carolina: 3.7%.

1,354people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

22,372people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

23,726in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	5.7%	1,354	22,372	23,726
August 2026	5.4%	1,267	22,127	23,394
July 2026	5.5%	1,250	21,575	22,825
June 2026	5.6%	1,328	22,425	23,753
May 2026	5.0%	1,196	22,714	23,910
April 2026	5.0%	1,198	22,882	24,080
March 2026	5.3%	1,284	22,779	24,063
February 2026	6.7%	1,644	22,883	24,527
January 2026	7.1%	1,711	22,462	24,173
December 2025	6.3%	1,519	22,499	24,018
November 2025	6.4%	1,521	22,415	23,936
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	5.8%	1,367	22,235	23,602
August 2025	6.2%	1,462	21,987	23,449
July 2025	7.1%	1,623	21,385	23,008
June 2025	6.0%	1,422	22,397	23,819
May 2025	5.1%	1,208	22,660	23,868
April 2025	5.3%	1,279	22,877	24,156
March 2025	4.9%	1,178	22,848	24,026
February 2025	5.4%	1,299	22,697	23,996
January 2025	5.7%	1,359	22,421	23,780
December 2024	5.2%	1,230	22,272	23,502
November 2024	5.7%	1,335	22,003	23,338
October 2024	5.8%	1,357	22,033	23,390

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	5.8%	1,385	22,402	23,787
2024	5.6%	1,306	22,056	23,362
2023	4.1%	972	22,450	23,422
2022	4.1%	971	22,852	23,823
2021	5.0%	1,220	23,043	24,263
2020	8.0%	1,938	22,327	24,265
2019	3.0%	724	23,334	24,058
2018	3.6%	866	23,022	23,888
2017	4.9%	1,127	21,646	22,773
2016	6.0%	1,345	21,256	22,601

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, : BLS publishes county figures only that way, so they rise and fall with the seasons; compare a month with the same month a year earlier rather than with the month before. South Carolina's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 4.0% in September 2026. The latest month is preliminary and is revised the next month, and BLS revises earlier years each spring. People are counted where they live. October 2025 wasn't collected during the 2025 federal government shutdown, so 2025's yearly average covers 11 months.

Crime reported in Cherokee County

250.4 per 100,0002025. South Carolina: 387.6.

1,670.1 per 100,0002025. South Carolina: 1,676.2.

3murders2025, 148 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	148	250.4	987	1,670.1
2024	155	267.2	1,247	2,149.7
2023	154	269.7	1,184	2,073.9
2022	206	360.8	1,399	2,450.1
2021	188	327.5	1,638	2,853.4
2020	210	359.2	1,678	2,870.3
2019	262	450.3	2,155	3,704.1
2018	241	414.2	2,285	3,927.0
2017	218	377.6	1,875	3,247.3
2016	236	412.1	1,995	3,483.3

By police agency (4)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Cherokee County Sheriff's Office	2025	104	570	43,667
Gaffney Police Department	2025	35	351	12,499
Blacksburg Police Department	2025	6	24	1,971
Chesnee Police Department	2025	3	42	962

Crimes to the county's city and county police agencies (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A), per 100,000 people they serve. Years with incomplete reporting are left out. Crime in South Carolina · the U.S.

Police staffing

1.93 per 1,000 residents2024, 4 agencies serving 58,007 people.

112sworn officers2024, full-time, as of October 31.

48civilian staff2024, full-time.

2024 is the latest year every agency here sent the FBI its staff count.

Agencies counted (4), 2024

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Cherokee County Sheriff's Office	61	45	42,758
Gaffney Police Department	35	2	12,399
Blacksburg Police Department	10	1	1,921
Chesnee Police Department	6	0	929

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2024	112	1.93	48	4
2022	109	1.91	47	4
2020	112	1.92	59	4
2016	107	1.87	43	4

Full-time employees of the county's city police departments and sheriff's office, as each reported them to the FBI (Uniform Crime Reporting, Law Enforcement Employees), per 1,000 people in the areas those agencies serve (the FBI's population figures). A year is shown only when every one of these agencies sent a count; a count under half or over double the agency's own counts in nearby years is treated as not sent. Towns policed under contract by another agency are counted through that agency. State police, campus and other agencies aren't included. Sheriffs' offices often also run the county jail and courthouse security, so their staff counts include those jobs.

Quick answers

Who is the Cherokee County Clerk of Court?: Brandy W. McBee is the Clerk of Court of Cherokee County, South Carolina.
Who is the Cherokee County Coroner?: Dennis Fowler is the Coroner of Cherokee County, South Carolina.
Who is the Cherokee County Probate Judge?: Joshua Queen is the Probate Judge of Cherokee County, South Carolina.
Who is the Cherokee County Sheriff?: Steve Mueller is the Sheriff of Cherokee County, South Carolina.
Who are the Cherokee County commissioners?: Elliott Hughes (County Council Member); Timmy Spencer (County Council Member); David Smith (County Council Member); Don- nie Hardin (County Council Member); Teresa Bonner (County Council Member).
What is the population of Cherokee County?: About 56,647 people, with a median age of 40.4; the median household income is $50,288 and 18.4% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Cherokee County?: 5.7% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,354 people unemployed in a labor force of 23,726, against 5.8% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Cherokee County?: 11 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 2 municipal, 1 school district and 7 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Cherokee County?: 1: Gaffney. Each has its own page with its mayor and council.

Officeholders as of October 15, 2026, from the South Carolina Legislative Manual's list of county officers and mayors of county seats; each name links to its source. Officials change between elections (appointments, resignations), and the body's own website is the authority. Party is shown only for offices elected on a partisan ballot.

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