Cherokee County and Its Homes
Cherokee County grew 7 percent from 2020 to 2025, to 30,830 people by the Census Bureau's estimate, in about 18,400 housing units.
Its two incorporated towns each have a page here: Murphy and Andrews. About 10 percent of Cherokee County's housing units are inside town limits, the rest in unincorporated areas.
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Cherokee County at a Glance
- Population: 30,830 (2025), 28,866 (2020)
- Housing units: about 18,400
- Median year built: 1994 (North Carolina: 1991)
- Built before 1980: 26% (statewide: 34%)
- Detached houses: 76%
- Mobile homes: 19%
- Owner-occupied: 84%
- Heated with electricity: 70% (statewide: 65%)
- Climate zone: 3 (2021 map), 4 (state code)
- Towns with pages here: 2
Census Bureau estimates for Cherokee County (housing: 2020 to 2024).
What We Do in Cherokee County
Attic Insulation in Cherokee County
Some 26 percent of Cherokee County housing units predate 1980; joists showing above their insulation mean more blown-in fiberglass is due, R-49 from bare.
Attic Insulation Removal in Cherokee County
Wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation comes out of Cherokee County attics, and a mouse-soiled Cherokee County attic is sanitized and deodorized; in the 10 percent of homes built before 1960, vermiculite is ruled out first.
Air Sealing in Cherokee County
Some 70 percent of Cherokee County homes heat with electricity, often through attic ducts; their joints and the ceiling's gaps are sealed first.
Homes in Cherokee County
Half of Cherokee County's 18,400 housing units were built before 1994: 15 percent before 1970, 26 percent before 1980 (nearly all before the state's 1978 insulation rule) and 13 percent in 2010 or later. The largest share went up in the 2000s, under codes that asked for less than ENERGY STAR now suggests; ENERGY STAR notes insulation is often thinnest at the eaves.
Only about 13,200 of Cherokee County's 18,400 housing units were someone's usual home in the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 survey; the heating shares below describe those households. Cherokee County by type: 76 percent detached houses and 19 percent mobile homes. In Cherokee County, 70 percent of households heat with electricity, 19 percent with tank gas (6 percent statewide), 3 percent with oil or kerosene and 5 percent with wood (1 percent statewide).
Cherokee County Homes by Year Built
- Before 1940: about 810 units, 4% (±1)
- 1940s: about 410 units, 2% (±1)
- 1950s: about 600 units, 3% (±1)
- 1960s: about 1,010 units, 5% (±1)
- 1970s: about 2,010 units, 11% (±2)
- 1980s: about 3,160 units, 17% (±2)
- 1990s: about 3,420 units, 19% (±2)
- 2000s: about 4,510 units, 24% (±3)
- 2010s: about 2,080 units, 11% (±2)
- 2020 or later: about 400 units, 2% (±1)
Climate Across Cherokee County
NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals for Cherokee County towns, by station: Murphy 4 ESE station (Murphy): about 4,040 heating and 1,040 cooling degree days; Andrews station (Andrews): about 3,930 heating and 970 cooling degree days.
Power and Gas in Cherokee County
The card lists Cherokee County's town and countryside utilities by the territory maps; a power bill confirms the one at an address.
Cherokee County has no natural gas franchise on the NC Utilities Commission's map.
Who Supplies Power in Cherokee County
- Duke Energy Carolinas: Andrews; homes near Murphy
- Murphy's own electric system: Murphy
- Blue Ridge Mountain EMC: other parts of Cherokee County
Energy Programs for Cherokee County Homes
Check each program's current terms for a Cherokee County home; some pay only through the utility's contractor network. Insulation Pros is an approved Duke Energy trade ally for Duke's rebate.
Programs for Cherokee County
- Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Duke Energy rebate; Andrews and near Murphy).
- Home Energy House Call (Duke Energy home assessment; Andrews and near Murphy).
- Income-qualified Weatherization (Duke Energy income-qualified; Andrews and near Murphy).
- Energy Saver North Carolina (statewide income-qualified; any Cherokee County address).
- Weatherization Assistance Program (statewide income-qualified; any Cherokee County address).
Cherokee County Insulation FAQs
Do you serve all of Cherokee County?
Yes: Murphy and Andrews, and every unincorporated Cherokee County address.
Which utilities offer insulation rebates in Cherokee County?
Duke Energy's Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Andrews and homes near Murphy).
Does attic insulation in Cherokee County need a permit?
Ask Cherokee County Building Code Enforcement before work starts. For an address in Murphy or Andrews, the town or city hall can tell you whether Cherokee County's office handles its permits.
Is there natural gas in Cherokee County?
Not from a gas utility: the NC Utilities Commission's map shows no franchise for Cherokee County.
Counties Near Cherokee County
Clay County · Graham County · Macon County · Swain County · Jackson County · All service areas
Cherokee County, NC
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Insulation Pros in Cherokee County
An insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Cherokee County included.
Send the square footage of your Cherokee County attic, or call (336) 870-3893.