Graham County and Its Homes
Graham County grew 2 percent from 2020 to 2025, to 8,190 people by the Census Bureau's estimate, in about 5,200 housing units.
Its three incorporated towns each have a page here: Robbinsville, Lake Santeetlah and Fontana Dam. About 15 percent of Graham County's housing units are inside town limits, the rest in unincorporated areas.
Graham County at a Glance
- Population: 8,190 (2025), 8,039 (2020)
- Housing units: about 5,200
- Median year built: 1989 (North Carolina: 1991)
- Built before 1980: 36% (statewide: 34%)
- Detached houses: 69%
- Mobile homes: 26%
- Owner-occupied: 81%
- Climate zone: 4 on both maps
- Towns with pages here: 3
Census Bureau estimates for Graham County (housing: 2020 to 2024).
Towns in Graham County
Robbinsville
579 people · median home 1984 · Duke Energy Carolinas
Lake Santeetlah
44 people · Duke Energy Carolinas
Fontana Dam
10 people · Duke Energy Carolinas
What We Do in Graham County
Attic Insulation in Graham County
Some 36 percent of Graham County housing units predate 1980; joists showing above their insulation mean more blown-in fiberglass is due, R-60 from bare.
Attic Insulation Removal in Graham County
Wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation comes out of Graham County attics, and a mouse-soiled Graham County attic is sanitized and deodorized; in the 11 percent of homes built before 1960, vermiculite is ruled out first.
Air Sealing in Graham County
The ceiling's gaps and the duct joints of a Graham County attic are sealed before new insulation.
Homes in Graham County
Half of Graham County's 5,200 housing units were built before 1989: 19 percent before 1970, 36 percent before 1980 (nearly all before the state's 1978 insulation rule) and 10 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.
Only about 3,500 of Graham County's 5,200 housing units were someone's usual home in the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 survey; the heating shares below describe those households. Graham County by type: 69 percent detached houses and 26 percent mobile homes (11 percent statewide). In Graham County, 12 percent of households heat with tank gas (6 percent statewide), 9 percent with oil or kerosene (2 percent statewide) and 7 percent with wood (1 percent statewide).
Graham County Homes by Year Built
- Before 1940: about 60 units, 1% (±1)
- 1940s: about 260 units, 5% (±3)
- 1950s: about 260 units, 5% (±3)
- 1960s: about 410 units, 8% (±3)
- 1970s: about 920 units, 18% (±3)
- 1980s: about 810 units, 15% (±3)
- 1990s: about 1,150 units, 22% (±5)
- 2000s: about 840 units, 16% (±3)
- 2010s: about 430 units, 8% (±3)
- 2020 or later: about 100 units, 2% (±1)
Climate Across Graham County
NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals for Graham County towns, by station: Robbinsville Ag 5 NE station (Robbinsville): about 4,370 heating and 760 cooling degree days; Andrews station (Lake Santeetlah): about 3,930 heating and 970 cooling degree days; Townsend 5 S, TN station (Fontana Dam): about 4,320 heating and 730 cooling degree days.
Power and Gas in Graham County
The card lists Graham County's town utilities by the territory maps; a power bill confirms the one at an address.
Graham County has no natural gas franchise on the NC Utilities Commission's map.
Who Supplies Power in Graham County
- Duke Energy Carolinas: Robbinsville, Lake Santeetlah and Fontana Dam
Energy Programs for Graham County Homes
Check each program's current terms for a Graham 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 Graham County
- Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Duke Energy rebate; Robbinsville, Lake Santeetlah and Fontana Dam).
- Home Energy House Call (Duke Energy home assessment; Robbinsville, Lake Santeetlah and Fontana Dam).
- Income-qualified Weatherization (Duke Energy income-qualified; Robbinsville, Lake Santeetlah and Fontana Dam).
- Energy Saver North Carolina (statewide income-qualified; any Graham County address).
- Weatherization Assistance Program (statewide income-qualified; any Graham County address).
Graham County Insulation FAQs
Do you serve all of Graham County?
Yes: Robbinsville, Lake Santeetlah and Fontana Dam, and every unincorporated Graham County address.
Which utilities offer insulation rebates in Graham County?
Duke Energy's Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Robbinsville, Lake Santeetlah and Fontana Dam).
Does attic insulation in Graham County need a permit?
Ask Graham County Building Inspections before work starts. For an address in Robbinsville, Lake Santeetlah or Fontana Dam, the town or city hall can tell you whether Graham County's office handles its permits.
Is there natural gas in Graham County?
Not from a gas utility: the NC Utilities Commission's map shows no franchise for Graham County.
Counties Near Graham County
Cherokee County · Clay County · Swain County · Macon County · Jackson County · All service areas
Graham County, NC
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Insulation Pros in Graham County
An insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Graham County included.
Send the square footage of your Graham County attic, or call (336) 870-3893.