Gates County and Its Homes
Gates County shrank 2 percent from 2020 to 2025, to 10,234 people by the Census Bureau's estimate, in about 4,800 housing units.
Its one incorporated town, Gatesville, has a page here. Under 5 percent of Gates County's housing units are inside town limits, the rest in unincorporated areas.
Gates County at a Glance
- Population: 10,234 (2025), 10,450 (2020)
- Housing units: about 4,800
- Median year built: 1991 (North Carolina: 1991)
- Built before 1980: 35% (statewide: 34%)
- Detached houses: 61%
- Mobile homes: 38%
- Owner-occupied: 81%
- Heated with electricity: 68% (statewide: 65%)
- Climate zone: 3 (2021 map), 4 (state code)
- Towns with pages here: 1
Census Bureau estimates for Gates County (housing: 2020 to 2024).
Towns and Communities in Gates County
Gatesville
260 people · Dominion Energy North Carolina
Unincorporated communities the Census Bureau maps in Gates County: Sunbury.
What We Do in Gates County
Attic Insulation in Gates County
Some 35 percent of Gates 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 Gates County
Wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation comes out of Gates County attics, and a mouse-soiled Gates County attic is sanitized and deodorized; in the 20 percent of homes built before 1960, vermiculite is ruled out first.
Air Sealing in Gates County
Some 68 percent of Gates County homes heat with electricity, often through attic ducts; their joints and the ceiling's gaps are sealed first.
Homes in Gates County
Half of Gates County's 4,800 housing units were built before 1991: 29 percent before 1970, 35 percent before 1980 (nearly all before the state's 1978 insulation rule) and 11 percent in 2010 or later. The largest share went up in the 1990s, under codes that asked for less than ENERGY STAR now suggests; ENERGY STAR notes insulation is often thinnest at the eaves.
Gates County by type: 61 percent detached houses and 38 percent mobile homes (11 percent statewide). In Gates County, 68 percent of homes heat with electricity, 3 percent with piped gas and 23 percent with tank gas (6 percent statewide).
Gates County Homes by Year Built
- Before 1940: about 440 units, 9% (±3)
- 1940s: about 160 units, 3% (±1)
- 1950s: about 380 units, 8% (±2)
- 1960s: about 410 units, 8% (±3)
- 1970s: about 330 units, 7% (±3)
- 1980s: about 610 units, 13% (±3)
- 1990s: about 1,110 units, 23% (±4)
- 2000s: about 860 units, 18% (±4)
- 2010s: about 450 units, 9% (±3)
- 2020 or later: about 90 units, 2% (±2)
Climate Across Gates County
NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals for Gates County towns, by station: Murfreesboro station (Gatesville): about 3,720 heating and 1,390 cooling degree days. NOAA's Holland 1 E, VA station, 19 miles from Gatesville, has about 3,540 heating and 1,540 cooling degree days.
Power and Gas in Gates County
The card lists Gates County's town utilities by the territory maps; a power bill confirms the one at an address.
Piedmont Natural Gas holds the Gates County gas franchise (NC Utilities Commission map), and 3 percent of Gates County homes heat with piped gas.
Who Supplies Power in Gates County
- Dominion Energy North Carolina: Gatesville
- Roanoke Electric Cooperative: homes near Gatesville
Energy Programs for Gates County Homes
Check each program's current terms for a Gates County home; some pay only through the utility's contractor network.
Programs for Gates County
- Home Energy Evaluation (Dominion Energy rebate; Gatesville).
- Income and Age Qualifying Home Improvements (Dominion Energy income-qualified; Gatesville).
- Energy Saver North Carolina (statewide income-qualified; any Gates County address).
- Weatherization Assistance Program (statewide income-qualified; any Gates County address).
- Piedmont Natural Gas lists rebates for high-efficiency gas furnaces, and none for insulation or air sealing (program page).
Gates County Insulation FAQs
Do you serve all of Gates County?
Yes: Gatesville and every unincorporated Gates County address.
Which utilities offer insulation rebates in Gates County?
Dominion Energy's Home Energy Evaluation (Gatesville).
Does attic insulation in Gates County need a permit?
Ask Gates County Building Inspections & Permitting before work starts. For an address in Gatesville, the town or city hall can tell you whether Gates County's office handles its permits.
Counties Near Gates County
Hertford County · Chowan County · Perquimans County · Pasquotank County · Bertie County · All service areas
Gates County, NC
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Insulation Pros in Gates County
An insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Gates County included.
Send the square footage of your Gates County attic, or call (336) 870-3893.