Lake CherokeeTX
A town of 3,093.
Is Lake Cherokee a good place to live?
0% of its land is conserved. Overall it grades B−, 205th of 640 graded towns in Texas. It also does better than most on schools: its public schools beat 73% of Texas towns on state tests and graduation. A typical home there costs about $345K, 5.2 years of the Longview metro’s $67K median household income. 36% of residents are 65 or older in Lake Cherokee, where Texas’ towns sit at 14% and U.S. towns at 18%. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 97% of U.S. towns. Only 85 of Texas’ 1,000 towns score lower on history.
99% of working residents leave Lake Cherokee for work
Where Lake Cherokee’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Lake Cherokee grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Lake Cherokee is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Lake Cherokee: who provides what
Lake Cherokee is unincorporated, so Gregg County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Lake Cherokee.
Lake Cherokee is a second-home town, sends most of its workers to Longview and beyond and has more 90° days than most of the country, though not than most of Texas.
A smaller share of residents in Lake Cherokee are under 18 than in the typical Texas or U.S. town
21.9% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, against 1.6% statewide, which helps explain the older median age.
13% of residents are under 18 in Lake Cherokee. Only 6 of the 642 Texas towns we compare have a higher median age than Lake Cherokee. People 65 and older are 36% of residents (13% statewide); children under 18 are 13% of residents (25% statewide).
| Lake Cherokee | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 57.4 years | 35.8 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 13% | 26% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 23% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
56% women, 44% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.5 points. Across Texas, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Lake Cherokee | TX | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.4% | 13.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.4% | 11.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.4% | 9.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.2% | 14.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.2% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 5.9% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.4% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 26.1% | 8.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10% | 5.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.3% | 14% | 10.4% |
| High school | 19.2% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 35.7% | 20.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.8% | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.7% | 21.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.3% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,100, single groups can be off by several points
Most working residents commute out of Lake Cherokee
Lake Cherokee has 128 jobs for its 1,140 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here fell from 633 in 2013 to 128.
Most working residents leave Lake Cherokee for work: only 1% work in town. Since 2013, Lake Cherokee has lost 505 jobs, to 128 in 2023. The average trip to work in Lake Cherokee is 28 minutes.
| Lake Cherokee | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $92,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 12% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In Lake Cherokee, expect mild winters and hot summers
The Longview Wsmo weather station records that about 89 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 83% of Texas places with climate records.
Lake Cherokee has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. Lake Cherokee’s July high is 94°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Lake Cherokee stands out in Texas and nationally: a larger share of its adults had a checkup this year
Against the 9,745 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lake Cherokee’s, it is less healthy than 64%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
80% of Lake Cherokee adults had a checkup this year. Lake Cherokee beats the Texas average on 13 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 10% of Lake Cherokee adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance.
| Lake Cherokee | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 12% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 80% | 74% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Lake Cherokee | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 10.1% | 19.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.2% | 19.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.5% | 6.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
A home in Lake Cherokee sells for about $240K at the median
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Moderate risk in Lake Cherokee, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Everything we know about Lake Cherokee
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Lake Cherokee
About 6 of every 100 Lake Cherokee residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
About Lake Cherokee
Census-designated place in Texas, United States
Lake Cherokee is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Gregg and Rusk counties, Texas, United States. Its population was 2,980 as of the 2020 census. Lake Cherokee is located 12 miles southeast of Gregg and northeastern Rusk counties on Cherokee Bayou. The lake is owned by the Cherokee Water Company to supply water for municipal, industrial, and recreational purposes. It has a capacity of 68,700 acre-feet. The lake impounds Cherokee Bayou. The top of the dam is at the elevation of 295 feet above the average sea level, but it has a max design of 291 feet above the average sea level.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 17 sq mi
- Elevation
- 338 ft
Questions about Lake Cherokee
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lake Cherokee, TX a good place to live?
Lake Cherokee grades B− overall, better than 46% of U.S. towns and #205 of 640 in Texas. It grades B− for health and B+ for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Lake Cherokee, TX expensive?
The typical home is worth about $345,000, 16% above the Texas typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.