North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
Type of help
Claims assistance
Location
Canton
Veterans benefits and claims assistance. Contact the provider to confirm how to get help.
Area served: Buncombe County, Cherokee County, Clay County, Graham County, Haywood County, Henderson County, Jackson County, Macon County, Madison County, Swain County, Transylvania County, Yancey County.
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The ACS estimates about 2,520, give or take 375 civilian veterans in Cherokee County.
Among North Carolina's 100 counties and equivalents, Cherokee County ranks 63rd by its estimated number of veterans.
Share of civilian veterans, ACS 2020-2024
Measure
Cherokee County
North Carolina
United States
Share with a service-connected rating
33 percent
below the North Carolina share; above the national share.
34 percent
30 percent
Share rated 70 percent or higher
13 percent
below the North Carolina share; the same rounded estimate as the national share.
18 percent
13 percent
Veterans 75 and older in Cherokee County number about 738, give or take 135; their 29 percent share is above North Carolina's 23 percent.
Veterans under 35 account for 3 percent; a small survey sample; treat as rough in Cherokee County; the survey figures do not support a state comparison.
Cherokee County has about 167, give or take 73 women veterans, making up 7 percent of its veterans compared with 12 percent in North Carolina.
Income, work and education in Cherokee County
Census ACS 2020-2024 estimates and 90% margins of error
Measure
Cherokee County
North Carolina
United States
Veteran median income, age 18 and over with income
$39,289 ± $4,486
$52,418 ± $511
$54,224 ± $147
Nonveteran median income, age 18 and over with income
$30,304 ± $1,228
$38,302 ± $191
$41,154 ± $99
Veterans below poverty level, age 18 and over
7.7% ± 3.4 points
7.3% ± 0.3 points
7.4% ± 0.1 points
Veterans with a disability, age 18 and over
37.2% ± 6.9 points
30.1% ± 0.5 points
30.7% ± 0.1 points
Employed share of veterans, ages 18 to 64
61.3% ± 10.8 points
71.6% ± 0.7 points
73.9% ± 0.2 points
Unemployed share of veterans in the labor force, ages 18 to 64
2.1% ± 7.0 points; small survey sample; treat as rough
Not compared
Not compared
Veterans with high school or more, age 25 and over
95.8% ± 2.4 points
95.8% ± 0.2 points
95.5% ± 0.1 points
Veterans with a bachelor’s degree or more, age 25 and over
31.3% ± 8.4 points
32.2% ± 0.6 points
31.8% ± 0.2 points
Income is in 2024 dollars. These figures describe civilians. Poverty and disability shares use veterans whose poverty status is determined. Census disability measures daily functioning, not a VA service-connected rating. Tables and method.
VA projects slightly fewer veterans here by 2035; both years round to about 3,000. VetPop2023 projections are rounded to the nearest 1,000 as VA directs. Projection source and method.
VA disability compensation in Cherokee County
VA reports 1,011 veterans in Cherokee County receiving disability compensation in FY2025.
In 2025, lenders reported 92 VA-backed home loans out of 825 home loans made in Cherokee County (11.2% VA), under the federal Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA).
The largest reported service groups are Vietnam era only (about 1,020, give or take 223) and between the Vietnam and Gulf War eras (about 444, give or take 143).
Outside North Carolina, in Knoxville, TN, Knoxville Mobile Vet Center (opens in a new tab) is Cherokee County's second-nearest Vet Center, about 54 miles in a straight line from the county center.
The state registry lists Winston-Salem RO (station 318); county claims jurisdiction is unconfirmed.
Cleanup and former military sites in Cherokee County
No sites from these two federal datasets were mapped to Cherokee County.
For VA’s service-location rules, see the presumptive conditions list. A location listing does not establish personal exposure or eligibility.
Veterans experiencing homelessness
On one night in January 2024, North Carolina Balance of State CoC counted 134 veterans experiencing homelessness (70 sheltered, 64 unsheltered).
NC-503 is the HUD Continuum of Care (CoC) selected by this county's geographic center (polygon centroid). This Balance of State area covers communities outside separate local CoCs.
The HUD workbook reports 157 veterans for the 2019 comparison.
This is a one-night count for the whole CoC area, not a county or annual total. CoC mapping method.
If you need housing help, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838. You can call any time, day or night.
Marble (unincorporated community): about 472 residents
Census incorporated places and census-designated places, sorted by ACS 2020-2024 population. Figures are ACS estimates for the whole place, not only the part inside this county. Places are assigned by their 2024 Census internal point and may cross county boundaries. Sources and mapping method.
Qualifying North Carolina veterans with a 100 percent permanent and total service-connected disability receive a $45,000 homestead assessed value exemption.
North Carolina offers Class I-B scholarships to eligible children of veterans receiving compensation for a 100 percent wartime service-connected disability.
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