Groundwork

Real estate · County · Iowa

Real estate businesses in Cherokee County, IA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for real estate businesses in Cherokee County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,499 of 2,229 scored counties
#45 of 69 scored counties in Iowa

Listings
9
0 chain locations (0%)
Official establishments
n/a
Fewer than 3, or not published
Household spending a year
$68.9M
On rent and homeowner costs · $13,651 a household
Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
177
77% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
17.8
54% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
11,369
−2.4% since 2020

See the real estate businesses around any address in Cherokee County

The site report maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Cherokee County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Household spending on rent and homeowner costs in Cherokee County comes to about $68.9M a year: $13,651 per household, 18% below the U.S. average. Housing spending per office is 77% above the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate businesses take in.

Cherokee County has 9 real estate businesses on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 6% across the U.S. That is 17.8 per 10,000 households, 54% below the U.S. rate of 38.5.

Official counts don’t publish a figure for real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Cherokee County, since they leave out counts under 3. Official counts list 26 one-person businesses without payroll.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Cherokee County declined 2.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Cherokee County scores 42 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for real estate businesses, ranking #1,499 of 2,229 scored counties and #45 of 69 scored counties in Iowa.

How Cherokee County compares

The same measures for Iowa and the whole U.S. Housing spending per listing divides all rent and homeowner costs by the listings counted: a measure of housing demand for each business, not money any of them take in, so it is shown against the U.S. (100) only. Households per establishment divides households by the official count.

Real estate in Cherokee County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureCherokee CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households17.824.938.5
Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)177130100
Households per official establishmentn/a648414
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+13.9%+15.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.4%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs$13,651$14,016$16,661
Median household income$71,269$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score4260

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
n/a
Employees, 2023
n/a
Annual payroll, 2023
n/a
One-person businesses, 2023
26Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
90 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
16The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Cherokee County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.

Population and households in Cherokee County

Population, 2025 estimate
11,369−2.4% since 2020
Households
5,045
Median age
44.8
Homes lived in by their owners
76%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
577 sq. mi.
People per square mile
20
Median household income
$71,269+26.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$93,726
Median home value
$158,700
Jobs located here
4,572
Daytime population
10,108Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Cherokee County?

These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the real estate businesses on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Cherokee County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Real estate across Iowa

Every Iowa market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for real estate businesses, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Cherokee County marked.

Top counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa ranked for real estate businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsHousing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)Population growthU.S. rank
1Benton County, IA761211.8285+1.8%#87 of 2,229
2Warren County, IA712311.1314+9.0%#181 of 2,229
3Bremer County, IA661515.4215+1.1%#344 of 2,229
4Guthrie County, IA65510.9302+1.6%#365 of 2,229
5Jones County, IA641214.6215+2.9%#409 of 2,229
6Cedar County, IA6379.2354−0.7%#431 of 2,229
7Crawford County, IA6369.5325−1.5%#434 of 2,229
8Madison County, IA631014.9228+3.8%#446 of 2,229
9Plymouth County, IA631514.52270.0%#447 of 2,229
10Mills County, IA63916.7206+2.6%#454 of 2,229
45Cherokee County, IA42917.8177−2.4%#1,499 of 2,229

Other business types in Cherokee County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many real estate businesses are in Cherokee County, IA?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 9 real estate businesses in Cherokee County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. No official count is published for real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Cherokee County: counts under 3 are left out. Official counts also show 26 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Cherokee County, IA spend on rent and homeowner costs?

About $68.9M a year, or $13,651 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 9 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 77% above the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate businesses take in. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,045 households in Cherokee County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Cherokee County, IA compare with the U.S. for real estate businesses?

Cherokee County has 17.8 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 54% below the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 177, where 100 is the U.S. At the U.S. ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, Cherokee County would have about 16, against 9 on map listings.

How fast is Cherokee County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Cherokee County at 11,369 people in 2025, down 2.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,045 households. Median household income in Cherokee County is $71,269, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.0%, before inflation.

What is the Groundwork market score?

The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Cherokee County scores 42 for real estate businesses (lower middle), #1,499 of 2,229 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cherokee County. It maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.

How the score works · Top markets for real estate businesses · All 56 business types in Cherokee County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Cherokee County?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

The button opens the report at the center of Cherokee County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.