Macon County and Its Homes
Macon County grew 6 percent from 2020 to 2025, to 39,232 people by the Census Bureau's estimate, in about 27,200 housing units.
Its two incorporated towns each have a page here: Franklin and Highlands. About 20 percent of Macon County's housing units are inside town limits, the rest in unincorporated areas.
.jpg){kind=link}
Macon County at a Glance
- Population: 39,232 (2025), 37,085 (2020)
- Housing units: about 27,200
- Median year built: 1987 (North Carolina: 1991)
- Built before 1980: 36% (statewide: 34%)
- Detached houses: 76%
- Mobile homes: 15%
- Owner-occupied: 78%
- Heated with electricity: 67% (statewide: 65%)
- Climate zone: 4 on both maps
- Towns with pages here: 2
Census Bureau estimates for Macon County (housing: 2020 to 2024).
What We Do in Macon County
Attic Insulation in Macon County
Some 36 percent of Macon 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 Macon County
Wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation comes out of Macon County attics, and a mouse-soiled Macon County attic is sanitized and deodorized; in the 10 percent of homes built before 1960, vermiculite is ruled out first.
Air Sealing in Macon County
Some 67 percent of Macon County homes heat with electricity, often through attic ducts; their joints and the ceiling's gaps are sealed first.
Homes in Macon County
Half of Macon County's 27,200 housing units were built before 1987: 17 percent before 1970, 36 percent before 1980 (nearly all before the state's 1978 insulation rule) and 7 percent in 2010 or later (16 percent statewide). The largest share went up in the 1980s; fiberglass from those years may have settled, so check its depth against the joists.
Only about 18,400 of Macon County's 27,200 housing units were someone's usual home in the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 survey; the heating shares below describe those households. Macon County by type: 76 percent detached houses, 7 percent in buildings of two or more homes and 15 percent mobile homes. In Macon County, 67 percent of households heat with electricity, 4 percent with piped gas, 21 percent with tank gas (6 percent statewide) and 5 percent with wood (1 percent statewide).
Macon County Homes by Year Built
- Before 1940: about 850 units, 3% (±1)
- 1940s: about 590 units, 2% (±1)
- 1950s: about 1,330 units, 5% (±1)
- 1960s: about 1,990 units, 7% (±1)
- 1970s: about 5,100 units, 19% (±2)
- 1980s: about 5,520 units, 20% (±2)
- 1990s: about 5,120 units, 19% (±2)
- 2000s: about 4,860 units, 18% (±2)
- 2010s: about 1,510 units, 6% (±1)
- 2020 or later: about 370 units, 1% (±1)
Climate Across Macon County
NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals for Macon County towns, by station: Franklin station (Franklin): about 4,130 heating and 900 cooling degree days; Highlands station (Highlands): about 5,370 heating and 240 cooling degree days.
Power and Gas in Macon County
The card lists Macon County's town utilities by the territory maps; a power bill confirms the one at an address.
Toccoa Natural Gas holds the Macon County gas franchise (NC Utilities Commission map), and 4 percent of Macon County homes heat with piped gas.
Who Supplies Power in Macon County
- Duke Energy Carolinas: Franklin; homes near Highlands
- Highlands' own electric system: Highlands
- Haywood EMC: homes near Highlands
Energy Programs for Macon County Homes
Check each program's current terms for a Macon 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 Macon County
- Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Duke Energy rebate; Franklin and near Highlands).
- Home Energy House Call (Duke Energy home assessment; Franklin and near Highlands).
- Income-qualified Weatherization (Duke Energy income-qualified; Franklin and near Highlands).
- Energy Saver North Carolina (statewide income-qualified; any Macon County address).
- Weatherization Assistance Program (statewide income-qualified; any Macon County address).
Macon County Insulation FAQs
Do you serve all of Macon County?
Yes: Franklin and Highlands, and every unincorporated Macon County address.
Which utilities offer insulation rebates in Macon County?
Duke Energy's Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Franklin and homes near Highlands).
Does attic insulation in Macon County need a permit?
Ask Macon County Planning & Code Enforcement before work starts. For an address in Franklin or Highlands, the town or city hall can tell you whether Macon County's office handles its permits.
Counties Near Macon County
Jackson County · Clay County · Graham County · Swain County · Transylvania County · All service areas
Macon County, NC
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Insulation Pros in Macon County
An insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Macon County included.
Send the square footage of your Macon County attic, or call (336) 870-3893.