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Place dossier plate
SheetKY-HENDERSON-KY · Henderson, KY 27,994 pop · income 15th pct · 14 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Henderson
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Henderson on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
North DeLand · lowest
47,167
North DeLand · lowest
47,167 median HH income
36.5% of the leader · rank #1
Henderson · this city
47,176
Henderson · this city
47,176 median HH income
36.5% of the leader · rank #2
Fort McKinley · near
47,176
Fort McKinley · near
47,176 median HH income
36.5% of the leader · rank #3
Connellsville · near
47,176
Connellsville · near
47,176 median HH income
36.5% of the leader · rank #4
Llano · near
47,183
Llano · near
47,183 median HH income
36.5% of the leader · rank #5
Tysons · highest
129,189
Tysons · highest
129,189 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #6
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Henderson on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 27,994.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Henderson - the verdict
Henderson ranks in the 15th percentile for household income and the 29th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
15th
percentile, household income
27th
percentile, home value
10th
percentile, median rent
29th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Henderson, KY
Kentucky's Henderson is a small city, with 27,994 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Henderson households earn a median of $47,176 annually, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 17.9%. Home values in Henderson run a median of $151,400, and the median resident age is 40.3 years. Educational attainment runs 18.2% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 53.4% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 78 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Slowing), down 18% from five years earlier. Crime here tracks close to the national norm: per-100,000 total crime stands at 2134.1 in FBI UCR data, near the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). NOAA climate normals record an annual average temperature of 57.1°F with 46.0 inches of precipitation per year and 12.4 inches of snowfall.
Living costs in Kentucky run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Kentucky at 90.2 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Below Average). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $984 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $225 across Kentucky, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 44.2 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Henderson's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from housing and income to within-city variation to schools and households to work and mobility to climate and hazard context to comparison shortlist to reported crime to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Henderson, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, within-city Census tract profiles, FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares, annual population history, matched public-school count.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
1. Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Henderson?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.2 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 17.9%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
What can 14 Census tracts reveal inside Henderson?
PlainCities matches 14 Census tracts to this city.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
What does the education layer cover for Henderson?
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 11 public schools within the city match. 18.2% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
Which cities make useful reference points for Henderson?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within Kentucky, the closest population matches are Frankfort (28,452 residents, $54,438 income); Jeffersontown (28,988 residents, $78,185 income); Independence (29,024 residents, $98,653 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Maryland Heights, MO (27,981 residents); Winchester, VA (27,981 residents); Old Bridge, NJ (28,015 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Henderson?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 78.1%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Drive alone
78.1%
Work from home
5.3%
Public transit
0.3%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 11,944 workers age 16+.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 57.1°F, with 46.0 inches of precipitation and 12.4 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Kentucky is 44.2 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
FEMA risk index (state avg)
44.2
Annual precipitation
46.0 in
Mean temperature
57.1°F
NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Henderson?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 2134.1 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, near the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 6% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
Total reported rate
2134.1
Violent rate
318.8
Property rate
1815.2
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Is Henderson growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -311 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -1.1% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 78 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
2020 estimate
28,133
2025 estimate
27,822
Period change
-1.1%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living A
90.2 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Violent crime F
319 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
18.2%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate F
17.9%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$47,176
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Henderson profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 85/100 (A) · 90.2 index
Violent crime: 30/100 (F) · 319 /100k
Bachelor's+ share: 29/100 (F) · 18.2%
Poverty rate: 17/100 (F) · 17.9%
Household income: 16/100 (F) · $47,176
Where Henderson sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Henderson's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Henderson highlighted among 11 peers.Read the chart values
Henderson, KY (this city): home $151,400, crime 2,134/100k
Maryland Heights, MO : home $215,300, crime 1,499/100k
Winchester, VA : home $325,900, crime 2,567/100k
Williston, ND : home $262,700, crime 2,753/100k
Clayton, NC : home $292,400, crime 1,451/100k
Frankfort, KY : home $171,600, crime 1,846/100k
Jeffersontown, KY : home $236,800, crime 2,381/100k
Independence, KY : home $240,500, crime 343/100k
Paducah, KY : home $164,600, crime 3,065/100k
Hopkinsville, KY : home $140,200, crime 2,952/100k
Nicholasville, KY : home $210,700, crime 1,610/100k
How does Henderson compare to other US cities?
Where Henderson sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income15% higher than other cities
Home value27% pricier than other cities
Median rent10% pricier than other cities
Safety29% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just Kentucky and the picture shifts: Henderson ranks #158 of 181 Kentucky cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Henderson against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Kentucky only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Kentucky-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Henderson near the bottom of Kentucky's cities
Among the 520 Kentucky cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Henderson ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Henderson only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#314 of 485
35th percentile in Kentucky
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 520
0th percentile in Kentucky
Median Home Value
#234 of 484
52nd percentile in Kentucky
Poverty Rate
#170 of 519
67th percentile in Kentucky
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#256 of 520
51st percentile in Kentucky
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Kentucky only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
15th percentile nationally for median household income · 29th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Henderson's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Henderson's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Henderson's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$151,400Among the most affordablemore affordable than 73% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Henderson's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.2×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#7,740 of 15,516
More affordable than 50% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,187 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 3.2×, Henderson sits in the moderate band:
national rank #7,740 of 15,516 and #1,187 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$47,176Henderson, KY median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Henderson, KY median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Henderson, KY.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)18.2%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)17.9%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)53.4%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
27,994
Median Income
$47,176
Median Home Value
$151,400
Median Age
40.3
Poverty Rate
17.9%
Labor force participation
53.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
18.2%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
2134.1
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
318.8
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1815.2
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Climate
Avg Temperature
57.1°F
Annual Precipitation
46.0"
Annual Snowfall
12.4"
Schools
Total Schools
11
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Henderson's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
28,133 residents
2021
27,947 residents
2022
27,690 residents
2023
27,792 residents
2024
27,854 residents
2025
27,822 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Slowing
Total Permits (2024)
78
housing units authorized
Single-Family
58
detached homes
Multifamily
20
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
2.8
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
95
16
79
$10.3M
2020
37
15
22
$3.8M
2021
32
28
4
$6.4M
2022
21
21
0
$4.5M
2023
29
21
8
$6.0M
2024
78
58
20
$23.3M
Permit volume decreased 18% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
78.1%
Carpool
11.6%
Public Transit
0.3%
Walk
2.3%
Work from Home
5.3%
Other
2.4%
Based on 11,944 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Kentucky statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $225
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Kentucky at $225 (electricity about $115 , water and sewer about $40 ).
These are Kentucky statewide averages, not a meter reading for Henderson. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Kentucky's BEA cost-of-living index is 90.2 (Well Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Henderson is $984/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Kentucky statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 44.2 / 100 (Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Kentucky statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Henderson sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Henderson compares to similar-size Kentucky cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.