Unemployment in Henderson County, North Carolina, is lower than in 85% of U.S. counties
In Henderson County, 3.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 85% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Henderson County's score
In Henderson County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 80.7. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 18.0. Bankruptcy filings ran at 54.5 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 88% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Henderson County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Even so, Henderson County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (30.8%, fiscal year 2027) and people without health insurance (12.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.7 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent20.4% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income30.8% · fiscal year 202797th percentile
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- 42.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.8% · 202420th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.7% · 202437th percentile
- People with a disability15.1% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- People without health insurance12.4% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,820 · 202433rd percentile
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- 29.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202616th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.6% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
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- 26.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.1% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.7% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.0% · second quarter of 202625th percentile
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- 18.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.5% · August 202524th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people54.5 · 202511th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Henderson County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Henderson County, 26.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Henderson County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Henderson County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 26.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Henderson County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Henderson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.4% in 2012 to 9.6% in 2013.
The share of households in Henderson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 9.2%
Low on the chart: 6.6% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Henderson County, North Carolina.
How Henderson County has changed
Henderson County's population had its largest rise, from 95,797 in 2004 to 105,813 in 2009.
Henderson County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 120,771, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 109,500. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Henderson County, North Carolina.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Henderson County nearly doubled to 43,873, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 43,873. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Henderson County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.6% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.6% | 2024 9.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,621 | 2024 $72,820 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.1% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Henderson County's history
1997
Hail in September 1997 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Hail in May 2003 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 116,281, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2024
A flash flood in September 2024 did $200 million in property damage and killed seven people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A flood in September 2024 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Henderson County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Henderson County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Henderson County, in North Carolina and South Carolina, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Henderson County ranks 4th of the six; Rutherford County is highest, at 37.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rutherford County, NC | 75 | 14.8% | 37.0% |
| Buncombe County, NC | 45 | 12.4% | 20.9% |
| Transylvania County, NC | 44 | 12.0% | 27.3% |
| Greenville County, SC | 43 | 9.9% | 19.2% |
| Henderson County, NC | 31 | 9.8% | 26.8% |
| Polk County, NC | 23 | 12.3% | 27.3% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Henderson County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Henderson County's poverty rate was 9.8% in 2024, 88th highest of 100 in North Carolina (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Robeson County, at 23.7%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Henderson County ranks 88th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Henderson County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Pisgah Legal Services
Legal aid
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Legal Aid of North Carolina
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Henderson County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Henderson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.