Madison County and Its Homes
Madison County grew 6 percent from 2020 to 2025, to 22,553 people by the Census Bureau's estimate, in about 11,400 housing units.
Its three incorporated towns each have a page here: Mars Hill, Marshall and Hot Springs. About 15 percent of Madison County's housing units are inside town limits, the rest in unincorporated areas.
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Madison County at a Glance
- Population: 22,553 (2025), 21,292 (2020)
- Housing units: about 11,400
- Median year built: 1987 (North Carolina: 1991)
- Built before 1980: 39% (statewide: 34%)
- Detached houses: 72%
- Mobile homes: 21%
- Owner-occupied: 77%
- Heated with electricity: 49% (statewide: 65%)
- Climate zone: 4 on both maps
- Towns with pages here: 3
Census Bureau estimates for Madison County (housing: 2020 to 2024).
Towns in Madison County
Mars Hill
2,280 people · median home 1982 · power varies by address
Marshall
802 people · power varies by address
Hot Springs
548 people · power varies by address
What We Do in Madison County
Attic Insulation in Madison County
Some 39 percent of Madison 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 Madison County
Wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation comes out of Madison County attics, and a mouse-soiled Madison County attic is sanitized and deodorized; in the 19 percent of homes built before 1960, vermiculite is ruled out first.
Air Sealing in Madison County
Some 49 percent of Madison County homes heat with electricity, often through attic ducts; their joints and the ceiling's gaps are sealed first.
Homes in Madison County
Half of Madison County's 11,400 housing units were built before 1987: 25 percent before 1970, 39 percent before 1980 (nearly all before the state's 1978 insulation rule) and 14 percent in 2010 or later. The largest share went up in the 1980s; fiberglass from those years may have settled, so check its depth against the joists.
Only about 8,300 of Madison County's 11,400 housing units were someone's usual home in the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 survey; the heating shares below describe those households. Madison County by type: 72 percent detached houses, 6 percent in buildings of two or more homes and 21 percent mobile homes. In Madison County, 49 percent of households heat with electricity, 4 percent with piped gas, 16 percent with tank gas (6 percent statewide), 17 percent with oil or kerosene (2 percent statewide) and 13 percent with wood (1 percent statewide).
Madison County Homes by Year Built
- Before 1940: about 940 units, 8% (±2)
- 1940s: about 220 units, 2% (±1)
- 1950s: about 960 units, 8% (±2)
- 1960s: about 730 units, 6% (±2)
- 1970s: about 1,620 units, 14% (±3)
- 1980s: about 1,810 units, 16% (±2)
- 1990s: about 1,720 units, 15% (±3)
- 2000s: about 1,770 units, 16% (±3)
- 2010s: about 1,220 units, 11% (±2)
- 2020 or later: about 370 units, 3% (±1)
Climate Across Madison County
NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals for Madison County towns, by station: Asheville station (Mars Hill): about 3,880 heating and 1,090 cooling degree days; Marshall station (Marshall): about 4,630 heating and 790 cooling degree days; Hot Springs station (Hot Springs): about 3,800 heating and 1,270 cooling degree days.
Power and Gas in Madison County
The card lists Madison County's town utilities by the territory maps; a power bill confirms the one at an address.
Enbridge Gas North Carolina holds the Madison County gas franchise (NC Utilities Commission map), and 4 percent of Madison County homes heat with piped gas.
Who Supplies Power in Madison County
- Duke Energy Progress: parts of Mars Hill, Marshall and Hot Springs
- French Broad EMC: parts of Mars Hill, Marshall and Hot Springs
Energy Programs for Madison County Homes
Check each program's current terms for a Madison 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 Madison County
- Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Duke Energy rebate; Mars Hill, Marshall and Hot Springs).
- Home Energy House Call (Duke Energy home assessment; Mars Hill, Marshall and Hot Springs).
- Income-qualified Weatherization (Duke Energy income-qualified; Mars Hill, Marshall and Hot Springs).
- ThermWise Weatherization Assistance (Enbridge Gas; Madison County gas customers): no-cost weatherization for gas customers, income-qualified.
- Energy Saver North Carolina (statewide income-qualified; any Madison County address).
- Weatherization Assistance Program (statewide income-qualified; any Madison County address).
Madison County Insulation FAQs
Do you serve all of Madison County?
Yes: Mars Hill, Marshall and Hot Springs, and every unincorporated Madison County address.
Which utilities offer insulation rebates in Madison County?
Duke Energy's Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Mars Hill, Marshall and Hot Springs).
Does attic insulation in Madison County need a permit?
Ask Madison County Inspections and Zoning before work starts. For an address in Mars Hill, Marshall or Hot Springs, the town or city hall can tell you whether Madison County's office handles its permits.
Counties Near Madison County
Buncombe County · Yancey County · Haywood County · Mitchell County · Henderson County · All service areas
Madison County, NC
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Insulation Pros in Madison County
An insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Madison County included.
Send the square footage of your Madison County attic, or call (336) 870-3893.