Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Henderson’s subject grades are an A for history and an A− for the outdoors; the weakest is a D− for walkability. Henderson’s median age is 60.9 years, above both New York’s towns (43 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). On walkability, just 30 of New York’s 1,216 towns do worse. Henderson's public schools trail 68% of New York towns on state tests and graduation. Robert G. Wehle State Park, at 1,066 acres with 13.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Henderson has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Henderson beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Henderson is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,919 in 1820, a peak of 2,480 in 1840, 1,438 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1818 and 3 maps from 1893 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
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 Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Henderson.
The typical Henderson home is worth about $277,000, up 8.4% in a year, 47% below the New York typical home. 89% of Henderson households own their home, where New York’s towns sit at 75% and U.S. towns at 73%. Henderson’s median rent is $833 a month.
| Henderson | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 89% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $833 a month | $1,101 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 79% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 17 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Henderson.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Henderson for work: only 7% work in town. The average trip to work in Henderson is 30 minutes. The top destinations are Watertown (22%), Ellisburg (9%) and Watertown (8%).
| Henderson | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $92,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.8% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Henderson has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 79°, January nights drop to 13° and about 116 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Henderson | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.9% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Robert G. Wehle State Park | 13.4 mi | 1,066 |
| 2. Westcott Beach State Park | 3.5 mi | 312 |
| 3. Henderson Shores Unique Area | 0.8 mi | 882 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Henderson beats the New York average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 29% of Henderson adults feel lonely.
| Henderson | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 81% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 33% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 36% |
| What stands out | Henderson | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.1% | 17.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.6% | 7.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.6% | 6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Henderson; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Henderson residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Henderson’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Henderson on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Henderson.
Town in New York, United States
Henderson is a town in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 1,438 at the 2020 census. The town is named after William Henderson, the original European-American land owner. Henderson is in the western part of the county and is southwest of Watertown. The Great Lakes Seaway Trail runs through the town along New York State Route 3 and includes a monument to its founder, William E. Tyson.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Home to 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
That is 4.2 years of the area's median household income ($66,301 across the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro 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−.
5 notable people were born here, including Daniel Burnham and Cushman Kellogg Davis.
