Clay County and Its Homes
Clay County grew 10 percent from 2020 to 2025, to 12,239 people by the Census Bureau's estimate, in about 7,500 housing units.
Its one incorporated town, Hayesville, has a page here. About 5 percent of Clay County's housing units are inside town limits, the rest in unincorporated areas.
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Clay County at a Glance
- Population: 12,239 (2025), 11,141 (2020)
- Housing units: about 7,500
- Median year built: 1990 (North Carolina: 1991)
- Built before 1980: 34% (statewide: 34%)
- Detached houses: 77%
- Mobile homes: 16%
- Owner-occupied: 81%
- Heated with electricity: 61% (statewide: 65%)
- Climate zone: 3 (2021 map), 4 (state code)
- Towns with pages here: 1
Census Bureau estimates for Clay County (housing: 2020 to 2024).
Towns in Clay County
Hayesville
470 people · median home 1973 · power varies by address
What We Do in Clay County
Attic Insulation in Clay County
Some 34 percent of Clay 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 Clay County
Wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation comes out of Clay County attics, and a mouse-soiled Clay County attic is sanitized and deodorized; in the 12 percent of homes built before 1960, vermiculite is ruled out first.
Air Sealing in Clay County
Some 61 percent of Clay County homes heat with electricity, often through attic ducts; their joints and the ceiling's gaps are sealed first.
Homes in Clay County
Half of Clay County's 7,500 housing units were built before 1990: 17 percent before 1970, 34 percent before 1980 (nearly all before the state's 1978 insulation rule) and 8 percent in 2010 or later (16 percent statewide). 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. Hayesville's median home dates from 1973, 17 years older than Clay County's as a whole.
Only about 5,100 of Clay County's 7,500 housing units were someone's usual home in the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 survey; the heating shares below describe those households. Clay County by type: 77 percent detached houses, 7 percent in buildings of two or more homes and 16 percent mobile homes. In Clay County, 61 percent of households heat with electricity and 31 percent with tank gas (6 percent statewide).
Clay County Homes by Year Built
- Before 1940: about 220 units, 3% (±1)
- 1940s: about 310 units, 4% (±2)
- 1950s: about 330 units, 4% (±2)
- 1960s: about 400 units, 5% (±2)
- 1970s: about 1,310 units, 18% (±3)
- 1980s: about 1,180 units, 16% (±4)
- 1990s: about 1,550 units, 21% (±4)
- 2000s: about 1,610 units, 21% (±4)
- 2010s: about 500 units, 7% (±3)
- 2020 or later: about 80 units, 1% (±1)
Climate Across Clay County
NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals for Clay County towns, by station: Hayesville 1 NE station (Hayesville): about 4,230 heating and 800 cooling degree days. NOAA's Blairsville Experiment Station, GA, 15 miles from Hayesville, has about 4,140 heating and 850 cooling degree days.
Power and Gas in Clay County
The card lists Clay County's town utilities by the territory maps; a power bill confirms the one at an address.
Clay County has no natural gas franchise on the NC Utilities Commission's map.
Who Supplies Power in Clay County
- Duke Energy Carolinas: parts of Hayesville
- Blue Ridge Mountain EMC: parts of Hayesville
Energy Programs for Clay County Homes
Check each program's current terms for a Clay 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 Clay County
- Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Duke Energy rebate; Hayesville).
- Home Energy House Call (Duke Energy home assessment; Hayesville).
- Income-qualified Weatherization (Duke Energy income-qualified; Hayesville).
- Energy Saver North Carolina (statewide income-qualified; any Clay County address).
- Weatherization Assistance Program (statewide income-qualified; any Clay County address).
Clay County Insulation FAQs
Do you serve all of Clay County?
Yes: Hayesville and every unincorporated Clay County address.
Which utilities offer insulation rebates in Clay County?
Duke Energy's Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Hayesville).
Does attic insulation in Clay County need a permit?
Ask Clay County Building Department before work starts. For an address in Hayesville, the town or city hall can tell you whether Clay County's office handles its permits.
Is there natural gas in Clay County?
Not from a gas utility: the NC Utilities Commission's map shows no franchise for Clay County.
Counties Near Clay County
Cherokee County · Macon County · Graham County · Jackson County · Swain County · All service areas
Clay County, NC
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Insulation Pros in Clay County
An insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Clay County included.
Send the square footage of your Clay County attic, or call (336) 870-3893.