CENTRE — The release of data last week from the 2010 U.S. Census shows Cherokee County's population has grown 8.3 percent since 2000.

The previous Census counted 23,988 residents of Cherokee County. The information, released Thursday, indicated the count is now 25,899.

The Census says 23,929 (92.1 percent) of the people in Cherokee County are white. The remaining racial breakdown is: African American, 1,206 (4.6 percent); Hispanic or Latino, 320 (1.2 percent); American Indian or Alaska native, 122 (0.5 percent); Asian, 49 (0.2 percent); Pacific islander, 1 (0.0 percent); two or more races, 347 (1.3 percent); some other race, 15 (0.1 percent).

The Census lists the total number of housing units in the county at 16,267 and says 10,626 (65.3 percent) are currently occupied.

Among the county's five municipalities, Leesburg (28 percent) and Cedar Bluff (24 percent) saw the biggest population increases. Just across the Coosa River, Cedar Bluff grew from 1,467 residents in 2000 to 1,820. In Leesburg, the population climbed from 799 a decade ago to 1,027.

Centre's population grew 8.4 percent, from 3,216 to 3,489. Sand Rock added 51 new residents over the past decade, for a total of 560. Gaylesville's 140 population count from 2000 has only grown by four.

The population of the United States is nearly 309 million, according to the Census.

To learn more, a comprehensive, searchable listing of Census information is available online at http://factfinder2.census.gov.