Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 6,590, platted in 1857. Public schools that outperform most of Tennessee.
Trash & recyclingHenderson gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $177K for a typical one, or 2.9 years of the Jackson metro’s $61K median household income. It grades B+ overall, 29th of 175 graded towns in Tennessee. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $46K, and 24% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, its schools rank ahead of 90% of Tennessee towns. 24% of residents live below the poverty line in Henderson, where Tennessee’s towns sit at 14% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Only 9 of Tennessee’s 292 towns score higher on walkability. Henderson is home to Freed-Hardeman University.
Where Henderson beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| East Chester Elementary School | PK–3 | 526 |
| Chester County Middle School | 4–5 | 424 |
| W Chester Elementary School | K–3 | 279 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Henderson is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 493 in 1880, 6,308 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 2 maps from 1961 on.
3 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 Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Henderson.
Henderson pairs an A for schools with modest home prices, draws workers from Jackson and beyond and fares better on crime within Tennessee than nationally.
3,545 jobs are based in Henderson, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 4 of Henderson’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Henderson grew to 3,545 in 2023, 214 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Jackson (29%), Memphis (9%) and Nashville (3%).
| Henderson | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 26% | 12% | 8% |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.3% | 9.6% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its A for schools comes with an A for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $177K.
Its public schools are run by the Chester County school district. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Chester County High School, with 808 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chester County Junior High SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 626 | A− |
| Chester County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 808 | A− |
| East Chester Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 526 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
At 2.9 years of the Jackson metro’s $61K median household income, the typical home (about $177K) costs less against local pay than in 94% of Tennessee towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living.
Henderson’s median rent is $781 a month. The typical Henderson home is worth about $177,000, up 0.6% in a year, 46% below the Tennessee typical home. 58% of Henderson households own their home.
| Henderson | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 66% | 73% |
| Median rent | $781 a month | $950 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The median age in Henderson is 28.1 years. Henderson has grown 4.3% since 2020, to 6,590 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Adults 18 to 34 are 37% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 25% of residents (38% statewide).
| Henderson | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 28.1 years | 40 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 23% | 23% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 23% | 22% | 22% |
54% women, 46% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.1 points. Across Tennessee, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Henderson | TN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.4% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.6% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 22% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.3% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.8% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.6% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 7.9% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.4% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 13.7% | 10% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33% | 31.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 26.6% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 4% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14% | 19.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.7% | 11.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Against the 4,333 U.S. towns with household incomes like Henderson’s, it is healthier than 71%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income. Within Tennessee it is healthier than 61% of the 176 graded towns: much of Tennessee scores lower on these measures.
23% of adults report frequent mental distress in Henderson. Henderson beats the Tennessee average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 15% of adults report frequent physical distress in Henderson.
| Henderson | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 20% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 29% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 36% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Henderson | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.9% | 8.2% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 26.8% | 30.6% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 12.4% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1.7 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Gene Record Memorial Park, 42 acres with 1.3 miles of trail.
| Henderson | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.9% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gene Record Memorial Park | 1.3 mi | 42 |
| 2. Dixie Youth Park | — | 26 |
| 3. Roadside Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Henderson has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 29° and about 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 65% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Henderson since 1997.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 18.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 67% of Tennessee’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Henderson
College town 20 of every 100 Henderson residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
Where Henderson’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Henderson on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Henderson.
City in Tennessee, United States
Henderson is a city in and the county seat of Chester County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 census, Henderson had a population of 6,308.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Henderson grades B+ overall, better than 67% of U.S. towns and #29 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades C for health, B− for safety and A for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
Henderson was platted in 1857 and has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 7 notable people were born here, including Eddy Arnold and Sue Shelton White.
