Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hendersonville grades C− overall, ranked 182nd of 286 in North Carolina, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Natural-hazard risk is low and it is more walkable than 76% of U.S. towns. On the other side, homes are expensive, about $406K for a typical one and 5.7 times the Asheville metro’s $72K median household income. 34% of residents are 65 or older in Hendersonville, against 18% in North Carolina’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Henderson County Courthouse and Brookland. Hendersonville's crime rate is higher than 85% of U.S. towns, with 51 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025.
Where Hendersonville beats most towns.
Henderson County Courthouse
Census counts: 1,740 in 1860, a low of 278 in 1870, 15,137 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1875 and 5 maps from 1935 on.
26 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Hendersonville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hendersonville. Close and well known come first.
13 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
Big draw32 mi MountainMount Mitchell
Big draw38 mi National ParkGreat Smoky Mountains National Park11.5M visitors a year
19 mi National forestPisgah National Forest39 mi Theme parkGhost Town in the Sky
4 mi National Historic SiteCarl Sandburg Home National Historic Site95K visitors a yearBlue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Mount Mitchell: Unknown, Public domain · Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Scott Basford, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pisgah National Forest: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site: Victoria Stauffenberg, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hendersonville, 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 Hendersonville.
Hendersonville carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of North Carolina (mostly inland flooding), draws workers from Asheville and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
13,549 jobs are based in Hendersonville, 2.2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 5 of Hendersonville’s working residents works in town. Hendersonville’s average trip to work is 19 minutes. The top destinations are Asheville (15%), Charlotte (4%) and Fletcher (3%).
| Hendersonville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 21% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 13% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Henderson County Schools. Three of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Hendersonville High, with 794 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hendersonville MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 540 | B |
| Hendersonville HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 794 | A |
| Hendersonville ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 323 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
The property crime rate in Hendersonville is 28.3 per 1,000 residents. Hendersonville reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 85% report less. The violent crime rate in Hendersonville is 3.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Hendersonville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 28.3 per 1,000 residents | 21.8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.2 per 1,000 residents | 3.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Only 46.1% of households own their home, against 66.6% across North Carolina.
People 65 and older are 33% of residents (17% statewide); children under 18 are 15% of residents (22% statewide). 38% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Hendersonville. Hendersonville has grown 4.5% since 2020, to 15,867 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Hendersonville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 53.2 years | 40.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 15% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 29% | 29% |
54% women, 46% men
About 86 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.8 points). Across North Carolina, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Hendersonville | NC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.2% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.1% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.6% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.3% | 13.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.4% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.5% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.5% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.4% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 18% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.6% | 24.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.8% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.5% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.3% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.9% | 13.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 95% of North Carolina towns, with expected losses of about $324 per resident a year; that rating is what its A− for hazard risk is built on. 213 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 18 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1978, 213 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hendersonville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
46% of Hendersonville households own their home. The typical Hendersonville home is worth about $406,000, down 1.7% in a year, 22% above the North Carolina typical home.
| Hendersonville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 46% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,332 a month | $1,084 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
January nights average 28.7°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 78% of North Carolina places with climate records; July afternoons average 83.6°.
Hendersonville has mild winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. About 7 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Hendersonville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 84°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 29°F | 31°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1.3 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is William H. King Memorial Park, at 56 acres.
| Hendersonville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Patton Park | 0.7 mi | 18 |
| 2. William H. King Memorial Park | 0.5 mi | 56 |
| 3. Berkeley Mills Park | — | 37 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 6,930 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hendersonville’s, it is healthier than 86%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Hendersonville beats the North Carolina average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11.
| Hendersonville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 33% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 80% | 79% |
| What stands out | Hendersonville | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.8% | 14.7% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.3% | 12.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Hendersonville
About 4 of every 100 Hendersonville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
13,137 counted in 2010 and 15,137 in 2020; an estimated 15,867 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
26 places in Hendersonville on the National Register of Historic Places.
16 notable people were born in Hendersonville.
City in North Carolina, United States
Hendersonville is a city in and the county seat of Henderson County, North Carolina, United States, located 22 miles (35 km) south of Asheville. Like the county, the city is named for 19th-century North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Leonard Henderson. As of the 2020 census, Hendersonville had a population of 15,137.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Hendersonville.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C−; Flat Rock (B) is closest.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hendersonville | #182 | C− | C− | C− | B+ | B− |
| Valley Hill | #61 | B | C | — | B+ | B+ |
| Barker Heights | — | — | A+ | — | B+ | C |
| Balfour | — | — | A | — | B+ | A− |
| East Flat Rock | #55 | B | B+ | — | B+ | C |
| Fruitland | — | — | A− | — | B+ | C+ |
| Laurel Park | — | — | C− | — | B+ | A |
| Flat Rock | #69 | B | C | — | B+ | A− |
Barker Heights, Balfour, Fruitland and Laurel Park have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Valley Hill, Barker Heights, Balfour, East Flat Rock, Fruitland, Laurel Park and Flat Rock report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Hendersonville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hendersonville grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #182 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades B− for health, C− for safety and B+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
Within North Carolina, it does better than 43% of towns.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
16 notable people were born here, including Allison Jones Rushing and Jim Lampley.
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