Mitchell County and Its Homes
Mitchell County grew 1 percent from 2020 to 2025, to 15,062 people by the Census Bureau's estimate, in about 8,700 housing units.
Its two incorporated towns each have a page here: Spruce Pine and Bakersville. About 20 percent of Mitchell County's housing units are inside town limits, the rest in unincorporated areas.
Mitchell County at a Glance
- Population: 15,062 (2025), 14,901 (2020)
- Housing units: about 8,700
- Median year built: 1978 (North Carolina: 1991)
- Built before 1980: 52% (statewide: 34%)
- Detached houses: 76%
- Mobile homes: 15%
- Owner-occupied: 76%
- Heated with electricity: 39% (statewide: 65%)
- Climate zone: 4 (2021 map), 5 (state code)
- Towns with pages here: 2
Census Bureau estimates for Mitchell County (housing: 2020 to 2024).
Towns in Mitchell County
Spruce Pine
2,211 people · Duke Energy Progress
Bakersville
468 people · power varies by address
What We Do in Mitchell County
Attic Insulation in Mitchell County
Some 52 percent of Mitchell 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 Mitchell County
Wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation comes out of Mitchell County attics, and a mouse-soiled Mitchell County attic is sanitized and deodorized; in the 30 percent of homes built before 1960, vermiculite is ruled out first.
Air Sealing in Mitchell County
Some 39 percent of Mitchell County homes heat with electricity, often through attic ducts; their joints and the ceiling's gaps are sealed first.
Homes in Mitchell County
Half of Mitchell County's 8,700 housing units were built before 1978: 40 percent before 1970 (22 percent statewide), 52 percent before 1980 (nearly all before the state's 1978 insulation rule) and 6 percent in 2010 or later (16 percent statewide). 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.
Mitchell County by type: 76 percent detached houses, 7 percent in buildings of two or more homes and 15 percent mobile homes. In Mitchell County, 39 percent of homes heat with electricity, 4 percent with piped gas, 18 percent with tank gas (6 percent statewide), 29 percent with oil or kerosene (2 percent statewide) and 9 percent with wood (1 percent statewide).
Mitchell County Homes by Year Built
- Before 1940: about 800 units, 9% (±2)
- 1940s: about 740 units, 9% (±2)
- 1950s: about 1,030 units, 12% (±3)
- 1960s: about 890 units, 10% (±3)
- 1970s: about 1,100 units, 13% (±2)
- 1980s: about 1,200 units, 14% (±3)
- 1990s: about 1,350 units, 15% (±3)
- 2000s: about 1,100 units, 13% (±3)
- 2010s: about 460 units, 5% (±2)
- 2020 or later: about 30 units, 0% (±1)
Climate Across Mitchell County
NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals for Mitchell County towns, by station: Celo 2 S station (Spruce Pine and Bakersville): about 5,050 heating and 390 cooling degree days. NOAA's Spruce Pine 2 NE station, 4 miles from Spruce Pine, has about 5,000 heating and 480 cooling degree days.
Power and Gas in Mitchell County
The card lists Mitchell County's town utilities by the territory maps; a power bill confirms the one at an address.
Piedmont Natural Gas holds the Mitchell County gas franchise (NC Utilities Commission map), and 4 percent of Mitchell County homes heat with piped gas.
Who Supplies Power in Mitchell County
- Duke Energy Progress: Spruce Pine; parts of Bakersville
- French Broad EMC: parts of Bakersville; homes near Spruce Pine
Energy Programs for Mitchell County Homes
Check each program's current terms for a Mitchell 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 Mitchell County
- Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Duke Energy rebate; Spruce Pine and Bakersville).
- Home Energy House Call (Duke Energy home assessment; Spruce Pine and Bakersville).
- Income-qualified Weatherization (Duke Energy income-qualified; Spruce Pine and Bakersville).
- Energy Saver North Carolina (statewide income-qualified; any Mitchell County address).
- Weatherization Assistance Program (statewide income-qualified; any Mitchell County address).
- Piedmont Natural Gas lists rebates for high-efficiency gas furnaces, and none for insulation or air sealing (program page).
Mitchell County Insulation FAQs
Do you serve all of Mitchell County?
Yes: Spruce Pine and Bakersville, and every unincorporated Mitchell County address.
Which utilities offer insulation rebates in Mitchell County?
Duke Energy's Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Spruce Pine and Bakersville).
Does attic insulation in Mitchell County need a permit?
Ask Mitchell County Building & Fire Inspections before work starts. For an address in Spruce Pine or Bakersville, the town or city hall can tell you whether Mitchell County's office handles its permits.
Counties Near Mitchell County
Yancey County · Avery County · McDowell County · Watauga County · Burke County · All service areas
Mitchell County, NC
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Insulation Pros in Mitchell County
An insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Mitchell County included.
Send the square footage of your Mitchell County attic, or call (336) 870-3893.