Population
1,274 residents
Census ACS 2023 - North Carolina
City profile · North Carolina · Census ACS 2023
South Henderson, NC
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for South Henderson - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 1,274
- Residents
- $36,417
- Median income
- $975
- Median rent (state)
South Henderson - the verdict
South Henderson ranks in the 5th percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.
- 5th
- percentile, household income
- 18th
- percentile, median rent
📝 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: South Henderson, NC
1,274 people live in South Henderson, North Carolina - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $36,417 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 37.3%. The median resident age is 28.6 years. About 5.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 49.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Living costs in North Carolina run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts North Carolina at 94.3 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Below Average). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $975 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $215 across North Carolina, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Natural-hazard exposure scores 48.4 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Low).
Median Household Income
$36,417 /yr
Poverty 37.3%
Cost of Living Index (state)
94.3 (US=100)
Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, North Carolina average
How does South Henderson compare to other US cities?
South Henderson measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income 5% higher than other cities
Median rent 18% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares South Henderson against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to North Carolina only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
North Carolina-relative analysis
Poverty Rate is South Henderson's strongest outlier among North Carolina cities
Among the 746 North Carolina cities PlainCities tracks with reported poverty rate data, South Henderson ranks #30 - the 96th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares South Henderson only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#627 of 700
10th percentile in North Carolina
Median Gross Rent
#514 of 746
31st percentile in North Carolina
Poverty Rate
#30 of 746
96th percentile in North Carolina
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#696 of 746
6th percentile in North Carolina
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 North Carolina only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
5th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Income distribution context
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 5.7%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 37.3%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 49.9%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
1,274
Median Income
$36,417
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
28.6
Poverty Rate
37.3%
Labor force participation
49.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
5.7%
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
81.3%
Carpool
17.2%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
1.5%
Based on 460 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for North Carolina - EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$115
avg/month
Natural Gas
$55
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$45
avg/month
Total Utilities
$215
estimated/month
Estimates reflect North Carolina state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Cost of living is a North Carolina state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county South Henderson sits in
Cost of Living Index
94.3
Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$975/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
48.4 / 100
Low
FEMA NRI composite score (county)
Similar Cities in North Carolina
Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to South Henderson's 1,274 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide
Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to South Henderson's $36,417 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).
Race & Ethnicity Composition
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
How South Henderson compares to nearby North Carolina cities
Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
| City | Population | Median Household Income |
|---|---|---|
| South Henderson (this city) | 1,274 | $36,417 |
| Highlands | 1,276 | $63,750 |
| Arrowhead Beach | 1,277 | $64,107 |
| Denton | 1,271 | $46,061 |
Census ACS 5-year FIPS NC OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about South Henderson, NC?
What is the population of South Henderson, NC? +
South Henderson, NC has a population of 1,274 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in South Henderson, NC? +
South Henderson households earn a median of $36,417 annually, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the cost of living in South Henderson? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for South Henderson; the closest available measure is the North Carolina state average, a cost of living index of 94.3 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Below Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within North Carolina vary by metro area.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, 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.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.
Citation & verification links
Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCitiesEvery figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.