Jackson County and Its Homes
Jackson County grew 7 percent from 2020 to 2025, to 45,039 people by the Census Bureau's estimate, in about 27,800 housing units.
Its four incorporated towns each have a page here: Sylva, Webster, Forest Hills and Dillsboro. About 5 percent of Jackson County's housing units are inside town limits, the rest in unincorporated areas.
Jackson County at a Glance
- Population: 45,039 (2025), 42,142 (2020)
- Housing units: about 27,800
- Median year built: 1990 (North Carolina: 1991)
- Built before 1980: 32% (statewide: 34%)
- Detached houses: 70%
- Mobile homes: 15%
- Owner-occupied: 61%
- Heated with electricity: 70% (statewide: 65%)
- Climate zone: 4 on both maps
- Towns with pages here: 4
Census Bureau estimates for Jackson County (housing: 2020 to 2024).
Towns and Communities in Jackson County
Sylva
2,691 people · Duke Energy
Webster
387 people · Duke Energy
Forest Hills
325 people · Duke Energy
Dillsboro
217 people · Duke Energy
Unincorporated communities the Census Bureau maps in Jackson County: Cullowhee (about 2,400 housing units, median year built 2004), Cherokee (median year built 1988), Cashiers, Glenville and Whittier.
What We Do in Jackson County
Attic Insulation in Jackson County
Some 32 percent of Jackson 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 Jackson County
Wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation comes out of Jackson County attics, and a mouse-soiled Jackson County attic is sanitized and deodorized; in the 11 percent of homes built before 1960, vermiculite is ruled out first.
Air Sealing in Jackson County
Some 70 percent of Jackson County homes heat with electricity, often through attic ducts; their joints and the ceiling's gaps are sealed first.
Homes in Jackson County
Half of Jackson County's 27,800 housing units were built before 1990: 18 percent before 1970, 32 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 2000s, under codes that asked for less than ENERGY STAR now suggests; ENERGY STAR notes insulation is often thinnest at the eaves.
Only about 18,400 of Jackson County's 27,800 housing units were someone's usual home in the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 survey; the heating shares below describe those households. Jackson County by type: 70 percent detached houses, 14 percent in buildings of two or more homes and 15 percent mobile homes. In Jackson County, 70 percent of households heat with electricity, 18 percent with tank gas (6 percent statewide), 4 percent with oil or kerosene and 5 percent with wood (1 percent statewide).
Jackson County Homes by Year Built
- Before 1940: about 1,220 units, 4% (±1)
- 1940s: about 900 units, 3% (±1)
- 1950s: about 870 units, 3% (±1)
- 1960s: about 1,970 units, 7% (±1)
- 1970s: about 4,000 units, 14% (±2)
- 1980s: about 4,920 units, 18% (±2)
- 1990s: about 4,400 units, 16% (±2)
- 2000s: about 6,720 units, 24% (±2)
- 2010s: about 2,490 units, 9% (±1)
- 2020 or later: about 330 units, 1% (±1)
Climate Across Jackson County
NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals for Jackson County towns, by station: Cullowhee station (Sylva, Webster and Forest Hills): about 4,130 heating and 900 cooling degree days; Cherokee station (Dillsboro): about 4,340 heating and 780 cooling degree days.
Power and Gas in Jackson County
The card lists Jackson County's town and countryside utilities by the territory maps; a power bill confirms the one at an address. The territory map does not split Duke Energy's two North Carolina companies in Jackson County; their programs are the same, and the power bill names the one at an address.
Enbridge Gas North Carolina holds the Jackson County gas franchise (NC Utilities Commission map), and 2 percent of Jackson County homes heat with piped gas.
Who Supplies Power in Jackson County
- Duke Energy: Sylva, Webster, Forest Hills and Dillsboro
- Haywood EMC: other parts of Jackson County
Energy Programs for Jackson County Homes
Check each program's current terms for a Jackson 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 Jackson County
- Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Duke Energy rebate; Sylva, Webster, Forest Hills and Dillsboro).
- Home Energy House Call (Duke Energy home assessment; Sylva, Webster, Forest Hills and Dillsboro).
- Income-qualified Weatherization (Duke Energy income-qualified; Sylva, Webster, Forest Hills and Dillsboro).
- ThermWise Weatherization Assistance (Enbridge Gas; Jackson County gas customers): no-cost weatherization for gas customers, income-qualified.
- Energy Saver North Carolina (statewide income-qualified; any Jackson County address).
- Weatherization Assistance Program (statewide income-qualified; any Jackson County address).
Jackson County Insulation FAQs
Do you serve all of Jackson County?
Yes: Sylva, Webster, Forest Hills and Dillsboro, and every unincorporated Jackson County address.
Which utilities offer insulation rebates in Jackson County?
Duke Energy's Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Sylva, Webster, Forest Hills and Dillsboro).
Does attic insulation in Jackson County need a permit?
Ask Jackson County Building & Fire Permits before work starts. For an address in Sylva, Webster, Forest Hills or another Jackson County town, the town or city hall can tell you whether Jackson County's office handles its permits.
Counties Near Jackson County
Transylvania County · Macon County · Haywood County · Swain County · Henderson County · All service areas
Jackson County, NC
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Insulation Pros in Jackson County
An insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Jackson County included.
Send the square footage of your Jackson County attic, or call (336) 870-3893.