Henderson is a city and the county seat of Vance County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 15,060 at the 2020 census.

The city was named in honor of former North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Leonard Henderson, who lived nearby and was a friend of early settler Lewis Reavis. Henderson was officially chartered by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1841.

Prior to the creation of Vance County in 1881, Henderson was located in far eastern Granville County.

Ashland, Henderson Central Business Historic District, Henderson Fire Station and Municipal Building, Library and Laboratory Building-Henderson Institute, Mistletoe Villa, Maria Parham Hospital, Daniel Stone Plank House, Vance County Courthouse, West End School, Zollicoffer's Law Office, and Barker House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.2 square miles (21 km), of which 8.2 square miles (21 km) is land and 0.12% is water.

Henderson benefits from its location near Interstate 85 and U.S. 1. Highway 39 also runs through Henderson.

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	186		—
1870	1,635		779.0%
1880	1,421		−13.1%
1890	4,191		194.9%
1900	3,746		−10.6%
1910	4,503		20.2%
1920	5,222		16.0%
1930	6,345		21.5%
1940	7,647		20.5%
1950	10,996		43.8%
1960	12,740		15.9%
1970	13,896		9.1%
1980	13,522		−2.7%
1990	15,655		15.8%
2000	16,095		2.8%
2010	15,368		−4.5%
2020	15,060		−2.0%
2021 (est.)	14,954		−0.7%
U.S. Decennial Census

Henderson racial composition

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	3,453	22.93%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	9,720	64.54%
Native American	37	0.25%
Asian	171	1.14%
Pacific Islander	2	0.01%
Other/Mixed	408	2.71%
Hispanic or Latino	1,269	8.43%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 15,060 people, 5,715 households, and 3,549 families residing in the city.

At the 2000 census there were 16,095 people, 6,332 households, and 4,122 families living in the city. The population density was 1,953.7 inhabitants per square mile (754.3/km). There were 6,870 housing units at an average density of 833.9 per square mile (322.0/km). The racial makeup of the city was 59.17% African American, 32.76% White, 0.27% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.36% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.13%.

Of the 6,332 households 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.1% were married couples living together, 26.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 30.7% of households were one person and 14.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.05.

The age distribution was 27.4% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.5 males.

The median household income was $23,745 and the median family income was $30,222. Males had a median income of $26,804 versus $19,910 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,130. About 23.4% of families and 28.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.5% of those under age 18 and 20.9% of those age 65 or over.

Henderson is located on the S-Line, the former main line of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad now owned by CSX Transportation. The city was last served by passenger rail in 1986, at which time Amtrak's long-distance Silver Star was re-routed through Rocky Mount and part of the S-Line was abandoned. Restoration of the line is planned as part of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor project.

The school district for the whole county is Vance County Schools.

• Gerald Alston (1951 – ), member of R&B vocal group The Manhattans
• George Lincoln Blackwell (1861 – 1926), theologian and author
• Charles Briggs (1932 – 1985), American actor
• Charlotte Hawkins Brown (1883 – 1961), educator and founder of the Palmer Institute
• Jason Brown (1983 – ), professional football player with the St. Louis Rams
• Duke Buchan (1963 – ), United States Ambassador to Spain and Andorra, raised near Henderson
• Danny Flowers (1948 – ), songwriter of "Tulsa Time"
• Elson Floyd (1956 – 2015), educator and 10th president of Washington State University
• Rachel Henderlite (1905 –1991), Presbyterian minister and educator
• Dave Henderson (1964 -), basketball player, 1991 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP
• Isaiah Hicks (1994 – ), basketball player for the New York Knicks
• Sammy Jackson (1937 – 1995), actor.
• Ben E. King (1938 – 2015), soul and pop singer, best known as the singer and co-composer of "Stand by Me"
• Shirley Owens (1941 – ), singer, member of the Shirelles
• Charlie Rose (1942 – ), television talk show host and journalist, was born and raised in Henderson
• Wilbur Fisk Tillett (1854–1936), theologian and dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School

• Official website of Henderson, North Carolina
• Historic Downtown Business District
• Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce