Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Henderson grades C overall, ranked 105th of 138 in Kentucky, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It has 14 miles of trail and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 75% of U.S. towns. On the other side, residents are less healthy than 89% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. 33% of working residents work locally in Henderson, against 15% in Kentucky’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include St. Paul's Episcopal Church and Barret House. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 85% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top.
Where Henderson beats most towns.
Census counts: 205 in 1800, 27,981 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1868 and 5 maps from 1916 on.
22 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kentucky), ordered by how far Henderson is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Henderson, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Henderson.
Henderson sends many workers across the state line to Evansville and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Kentucky (mostly inland flooding).
14 miles of trail in 15 parks and preserves. The trail density in Henderson is 0.8 miles per square mile. John James Audubon Nature Preserve, at 325 acres with 3.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Henderson | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.7% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. John James Audubon State Park | 3.8 mi | 294 |
| 2. John James Audubon Nature Preserve | 3.2 mi | 325 |
| 3. Newman Park | 0.5 mi | 41 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Henderson County school district. Three of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henderson County North Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 670 | B+ |
| Henderson County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,852 | B− |
| Henderson County South Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 661 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
Against the 5,079 U.S. towns with household incomes like Henderson’s, it is less healthy than 69%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
44% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Henderson. Henderson beats the Kentucky average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 20% of adults smoke cigarettes in Henderson.
| Henderson | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 40% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 39% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 16% |
| What stands out | Henderson | KY |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 7.7% | 5.4% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 20.1% | 15.5% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 11.4% | 8.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 91% of Kentucky towns, with expected losses of about $466 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on. 176 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 38 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1981, 176 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Henderson.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes fell from 720 to 436 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Henderson’s violent crime rate is 2.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Henderson | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 13 per 1,000 residents | 8.2 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Henderson has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 25° and about 12 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
23% of working residents cross a state line to work, Evansville among the top destinations.
About one in 3 of Henderson’s working residents works in town. 19% of Henderson residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Henderson has lost 1,504 jobs, to 11,396 in 2023.
| Henderson | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 6% | 10% | 11% |
| Median household income | $48,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Henderson home is worth about $202,000, up 2.4% in a year, 13% below the Kentucky typical home.
| Henderson | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 59% | 73% |
| Median rent | $771 a month | $937 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Kentucky average. 20% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 28% across Kentucky.
| Henderson | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 20% | 26% | 29% |
| Median age | 39.9 years | 37.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 17% | 18% |
52% women, 48% men
About 91 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1 point). Across Kentucky, 50.5% of residents are women. Median age: women 42.0, men 36.5.
| Henderson | KY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.7% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.2% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.1% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.8% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.6% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.2% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.8% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.1% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.6% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.6% | 11.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 36.8% | 32.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.7% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.5% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 13.3% | 16.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.2% | 11.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Henderson. Close and well known come first.
9 mi MuseumUSS LST-325
10 mi Ancient siteAngel Mounds
9 mi Stadium & arenaFord Center
37 mi National MemorialLincoln Boyhood National Memorial116K visitors a year
11 mi Zoo & aquariumMesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden
9 mi MuseumReitz Home MuseumUSS LST-325: Wikideas1, CC0 · Angel Mounds: Heironymous Rowe (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ford Center: Nyttend, Public domain · Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial: Rene Sturgell, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden: Randella (talk), CC BY 3.0 · Reitz Home Museum: Nyttend, Public domain
3 within 15 miles of the center of Henderson
About 3 of every 100 Henderson residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
7.7% of the town is conserved land, across 15 parks and preserves.
22 places in Henderson on the National Register of Historic Places.
26 notable people were born in Henderson.
City in Kentucky, United States
Henderson is a city along the Ohio River and the county seat of Henderson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 29,781 at the 2020 U.S. census. It is part of the Evansville–Henderson, Indiana–Kentucky Combined Statistical Area, locally known as the "Tri-State Area," and is considered the southernmost suburb of Evansville, Indiana. Henderson is a home-rule class city under Kentucky law.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Henderson.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Henderson grades C overall, better than 25% of U.S. towns and #105 of 138 in Kentucky. It grades D for health, C for safety and B+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.4 years of the area's median household income ($59,053 across the Henderson, KY area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
26 notable people were born here, including Husband E. Kimmel and Steve Bardo.
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