ZIP Codes of Cherokee County, NC

Population & People
Population & People
Total Population
5,024
Household Income
Household Income
Median Income
$57,389
Housing
Housing
Total Housing Units
3,277
Business & Economy
Business & Economy
Total Businesses
659
Employment
Employment
Employment Rate
49.76%
Education
Education
Bachelor's Degree+
24.43%
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates · rolled up across the 1 ZIPs in this county.
Data Last Updated: June 1, 2026
ZIP Codes:5 ZIP Codes (4 Standard, 1 PO Box, 0 Unique) [See All]
Area Codes:706 / 762 / 828
Timezone:Eastern (GMT -05:00)
Local Time:2:12:56 PM
Population:5,024 [See All]
FIPS:37039
Land Area:524 sq mi
Water Area:14 sq mi
Coordinates:34.9364, -84.2860
Quick Link:
https://www.zip-codes.com/county/nc-cherokee.asp
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Boom county
Grew 26.8% in 10 years — #83 nationwide.
Owner-dominated county
Just 9.4% of homes are rentals — strong homeownership culture.

Standout ZIPs in this County


Most Populous
Murphy · 20,526 people
68.4% of county total
Highest Income
Topton · $62,045 median
1.1× county average
Largest Land Area
Murphy · 340.3 sq mi
Spans the most ground
Fastest Growth
Murphy · 11.7% (10-yr)
18,384 → 20,526 residents
Most Educated
Marble · 26.5% bachelor's+
596 of 2,247 adults 25+

Things worth knowing about Cherokee County


30,015 residents live across 5 ZIPs covering 524 sq mi, served by 5 distinct USPS-recognized cities.

Population moved from 27,750 to 30,015 from 2014 to 2024 — a +8.2% change. 2 ZIPs gained residents, 2 lost.

The county's wealthiest ZIP 28781 (Topton, $62,045 median) and poorest ZIP 28901 (Andrews, $44,792) are 9.7 miles apart — a 1.4× income gap across local geography.

Median home values vary 1.7× across this county — from $158,200 in 28901 (Andrews) to $276,800 in 28781 (Topton).

Density varies across the county — from 13 people/sq mi in 28781 (Topton) to 80 in 28901 (Andrews).

Educational attainment ranges from 17.9% bachelor's+ in 28901 (Andrews) to 35.9% in 28781 (Topton) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.

Within North Carolina, this is the #150 most populous of 161 counties and ranks #84 for median household income with the #8 fastest decade growth .

On the national stage, Cherokee County is and #83 for decade growth .

Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $54,113 across the county — reflecting what a typical resident sees, not a simple ZIP average.

24.2% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher (5,682 of 23,496 reporting).

4 Standard delivery, 1 PO Box only, 0 single-entity Unique ZIPs serve this county.

Stories about Cherokee County


Big & sparse

A frontier county — vast land area with only a few residents per square mile. Daily life looks very different here than in the country's denser counties.

Total area
524
square miles
Avg density
57.3
people per sq mi
Population
30,015
across 5 ZIPs
Murphy
340.3 sq mi
20,526 residents
Andrews
69.2 sq mi
5,552 residents
Topton
69.1 sq mi
881 residents

Single-ZIP anchor

One ZIP holds the majority of this county's population — a sign of a county built around a single city or town.

Murphy

All ZIP Codes in Cherokee County


ZIPCityTypePopulationMedian IncomeArea (sq mi)10-yr Growth
28906MurphyStandard20,526$55,759340.311.7%
28901AndrewsStandard5,552$44,79269.24.8%
28905MarbleStandard3,056$57,70845.6-3.8%
28781ToptonStandard881$62,04569.1-1.1%
28903CulbersonPO Box0.0

Adjacent & Nearby Counties