Henderson County, North Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Henderson County, NC Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageHealthier than 86% of counties in North Carolina
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C
Income Below averageWealthier than 85% of counties in North Carolina
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B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 86% of counties in North Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Henderson County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 118,522 | 10,724,323 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 316.1 | 199.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.84% | 0.97% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 45.3 | 37.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 51,084 | 4,279,225 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Henderson County grew by 18.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 118,522 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Henderson County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 24.4% of residents. That is 7.4 points above North Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 19,577 16.5% -5.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 21,382 18.0% -3.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 25,508 21.5% +1.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 28,965 24.4% +7.4 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below North Carolina, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.6% of the people living in Henderson County and men 48.4%.
- Women 51.6% North Carolina 51.1%
- Men 48.4% North Carolina 48.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Henderson County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Henderson County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Henderson County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $69,064 | $72,438 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.70% | 5.20% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.5% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Henderson County is about 5% lower than in North Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Henderson County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $294,864 | $278,288 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,186 | $1,227 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 75.0% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Henderson County is about 20.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,186 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Henderson County spend about 42 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 175 hours, about 7.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Henderson County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.0 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 42.1 | 43.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 175 | 182 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,436 | $5,645 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.4% | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 9,539 | 8,330 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,337 | 1,609 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
North Carolina:
Macon County (17.2 min), Watauga County (17.2 min), Dare County (17.4 min).
Slowest:
Gates County (35.9 min), Currituck County (33.9 min), Tyrrell County (33.6 min).
The average commute time in Henderson County is 21 minutes, shorter than the 22 minutes in North Carolina.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Henderson County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Henderson County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 31.7% | 31.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.29 | 2.44 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
North Carolina:
Orange County (0.5), Wake County (0.4), Durham County (0.4).
Lowest:
Hyde County (0.2), Greene County (0.2), Tyrrell County (0.2).
Health
Henderson County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Henderson County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.4 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.4% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.1% | 20.7% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
North Carolina:
Orange County (0.8), Wake County (0.8), Watauga County (0.8).
Lowest:
Robeson County (0.8), Lenoir County (0.8), Halifax County (0.8).
Henderson County, NC Compared With Nearby Counties
Henderson County, NC is the 4th largest of the 5 counties compared here, 118,522 residents against a local median of 204,390. Henderson County, NC sits close to the middle of its own neighbourhood. No measure below is more than 15% off the local median, so the choice between these counties turns on things this data does not capture.
The largest of those small differences is median home price, 11% below the local median at $294,864 against $330,000. Henderson County, NC has the 3rd highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henderson County, NC | 118,522 | $69,064 #3/5 | $294,864 #3/5 | 21.0 min #3/5 |
| Buncombe County, NC | 274,254 | $74,474 | $426,146 | 20.5 min |
| Transylvania County, NC | 33,685 | $65,479 | $378,378 | 18.3 min |
| Greenville County, SC | 547,972 | $77,038 | $281,622 | 21.6 min |
| Pickens County, SC | 134,527 | $61,495 | $268,520 | 23.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Henderson County, North Carolina.
How many people live in Henderson County, North Carolina?
About 118,522 people live in Henderson County, North Carolina, in 51,084 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 45.3, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 8 years.
How densely populated is Henderson County, North Carolina?
Averaged over its land area, Henderson County, North Carolina has 316 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 3.7 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Henderson County, North Carolina an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 4.3 times the median household income ($294,864 against $69,064), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,186 a month takes about 21% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Henderson County, North Carolina?
Unemployment in Henderson County, North Carolina is only 3.5%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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