Henderson County, North Carolina

NC · FIPS 37089 Republican

Located in North Carolina, Henderson County has a population of 118,484 residents and a median age of 47.5 years, making it the #540 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 11.6%. The median home value is $351,400, and the median household income is $68,187, which is 9% below the national median.

118,484
Population
#540 of 3,222
$68,187
Median Income
-9.3% #1,323 of 3,222
47.5 years
Median Age
+22.1% #404 of 3,222
11.6%
Poverty Rate
-8.3% #1,149 of 3,222

Demographics

Henderson County has a population of 118,484, making it the #540 most populous county in the US. The median age is 47.5 years, which is 22.1% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

91.7%
Native Born
8.3%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Henderson County is $68,187, ranking #1,323 out of 3,222 counties — 9.3% below the national median. The poverty rate is 11.6% and unemployment stands at 3.5%.

Income#1,323
$68,187
-9.3%
vs nation
59th percentile
Per Capita#765
$40,567
-1.7%
vs nation
76th percentile
Poverty#1,149
11.6%
-8.3%
vs nation
64th percentile
Unemployment#961
3.5%
-34.7%
vs nation
70th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Henderson County is $351,400 (+24.7% vs national). Renters pay a median of $1,187/mo and the homeownership rate is 75.0%.

Home Value#411
$351,400
+24.7%
vs nation
87th percentile
Rent#558
$1,187
+2.1%
vs nation
83th percentile
Homeownership#1,531
75.0%
+16.5%
vs nation
52th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Henderson County, 36.5% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 8.3% above the national average, ranking #403 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
36.5% +8.3% vs nation
Rank #403 of 3,222
88th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Henderson County is 77.4 years. 15.9% of adults report poor or fair health and 13.6% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#810
77.4
+2.9%
vs nation
74th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#774
15.9%
-18.7%
vs nation
75th percentile
Diabetes#649
9.2%
-17.4%
vs nation
79th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#807
34.4%
-7.8%
vs nation
74th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#540
5.1
-10.1%
vs nation
83th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#698
3.9
-12.5%
vs nation
78th percentile
Uninsured Rate#2,438
13.6%
+29.9%
vs nation
22th percentile
Physical Inactivity#407
20.7%
-21.5%
vs nation
87th percentile
Food Insecurity#1,703
14.6%
+1.3%
vs nation
46th percentile

Substance Use

15.0% of adults in Henderson County smoke , 33.9% are obese , and 20.9% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 31.7 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#655
15.0%
-16.5%
vs nation
79th percentile
Adult Obesity#556
33.9%
-10.6%
vs nation
82th percentile
Excessive Drinking#1,969
20.9%
+5.3%
vs nation
37th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#1,249
31.7
-2.0%
vs nation
41th percentile

Safety

The homicide rate in Henderson County is 3.2 per 100,000 and the suicide rate is 18.9 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 12.2 per 100,000.

Homicide Rate#303
3.2
-60.3%
vs nation
80th percentile
Suicide Rate#1,416
18.9
-4.0%
vs nation
45th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#995
15.0
-16.2%
vs nation
60th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#599
12.2
-39.6%
vs nation
79th percentile

Families & Children

15.5% of children in Henderson County live in poverty and the infant mortality rate is 5.6 per 1,000 live births. The teen birth rate is 17.7 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Infant Mortality#453
5.6
-17.3%
vs nation
67th percentile
Teen Birth Rate#1,221
17.7
-18.8%
vs nation
59th percentile
Child Poverty#1,184
15.5%
-18.4%
vs nation
62th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Henderson County is 75.9%. The mean commute time is 25.0 min, which is 9.4% below the national average.

Voter Turnout
75.9% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
25.0 min −9.4% vs nation
Rank #1,939 of 3,222
40th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Henderson County voted Republican with a margin of 14.5%. The vote was 42.2% Dem / 56.7% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted +4.3 toward Democrats .

2024 REP +14.5%
42.2% 56.7%
Dem 69,651 votes Rep
2020 REP +18.8%
39.8% 58.6%
Dem 68,371 votes Rep
2016 REP +28.0%
34.6% 62.6%
Dem 56,810 votes Rep
2012 REP +27.6%
35.6% 63.2%
Dem 51,961 votes Rep
2008 REP +21.0%
38.9% 59.9%
Dem 51,614 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Henderson County, North Carolina

Henderson County, North Carolina has a total population of 118,484, making it the 540th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Henderson County is 47.5 years, which is 22.1% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Henderson County is $68,187, which ranks #1,323 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 9.3% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 11.6%, lower than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 3.5%.

The median home value in Henderson County is $351,400, 24.7% above the national median. Renters in Henderson County pay a median gross rent of $1,187 per month. The homeownership rate is 75.0%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Henderson County, 36.5% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 8.3% above the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 87.6% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 25.0 min.

Henderson County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 79.5% of the population, followed by Hispanic or Latino (13.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).

All data for Henderson County, North Carolina comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.