New Hanover County and Its Homes
New Hanover County grew 9 percent from 2020 to 2025, to 245,959 people by the Census Bureau's estimate, in about 120,100 housing units.
Its four incorporated towns each have a page here: Wilmington, Carolina Beach, Wrightsville Beach and Kure Beach. About 60 percent of New Hanover County's housing units are inside town limits, the rest in unincorporated areas.
New Hanover County at a Glance
- Population: 245,959 (2025), 226,449 (2020)
- Housing units: about 120,100
- Median year built: 1993 (North Carolina: 1991)
- Built before 1980: 31% (statewide: 34%)
- Detached houses: 61%
- Mobile homes: 3%
- Owner-occupied: 61%
- Heated with electricity: 88% (statewide: 65%)
- Climate zone: 3 on both maps, warm-humid
- Towns with pages here: 4
Census Bureau estimates for New Hanover County (housing: 2020 to 2024).
Towns and Communities in New Hanover County
Wilmington
126,809 people · median home 1989 · Duke Energy Progress
Carolina Beach
6,870 people · median home 1988 · Duke Energy Progress
Wrightsville Beach
2,397 people · median home 1978 · Duke Energy Progress
Kure Beach
2,145 people · median home 1996 · Duke Energy Progress
Unincorporated communities the Census Bureau maps in New Hanover County: Murraysville (about 7,500 housing units, median year built 2000), Myrtle Grove (about 5,100 housing units, median year built 1997), Kings Grant (about 4,400 housing units, median year built 1979), Ogden (about 3,500 housing units, median year built 1995), Porters Neck (about 3,500 housing units, median year built 2003), Silver Lake (about 2,800 housing units, median year built 1996), Wrightsboro (about 2,800 housing units), Sea Breeze (about 990 housing units, median year built 1998), Northchase (median year built 2000), Skippers Corner (median year built 1996), Bayshore (median year built 2001), Castle Hayne, Hightsville and Blue Clay Farms.
What We Do in New Hanover County
Attic Insulation in New Hanover County
Some 31 percent of New Hanover County housing units predate 1980; joists showing above their insulation mean more blown-in fiberglass is due, R-49 from bare.
Attic Insulation Removal in New Hanover County
Wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation comes out of New Hanover County attics, and a mouse-soiled New Hanover County attic is sanitized and deodorized; in the 14 percent of homes built before 1960, vermiculite is ruled out first.
Air Sealing in New Hanover County
Some 88 percent of New Hanover County homes heat with electricity, often through attic ducts; their joints and the ceiling's gaps are sealed first.
Homes in New Hanover County
Half of New Hanover County's 120,100 housing units were built before 1993: 19 percent before 1970, 31 percent before 1980 (nearly all before the state's 1978 insulation rule) and 18 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. Among New Hanover County towns, the median home is oldest in Wrightsville Beach (1978) and newest in Kure Beach (1996).
New Hanover County by type: 61 percent detached houses, 30 percent in buildings of two or more homes and 3 percent mobile homes. In New Hanover County, 88 percent of homes heat with electricity and 9 percent with piped gas (24 percent statewide).
New Hanover County Homes by Year Built
- Before 1940: about 6,480 units, 5% (±1)
- 1940s: about 4,710 units, 4% (±1)
- 1950s: about 5,310 units, 4% (±1)
- 1960s: about 6,400 units, 5% (±1)
- 1970s: about 13,930 units, 12% (±1)
- 1980s: about 16,660 units, 14% (±1)
- 1990s: about 21,970 units, 18% (±1)
- 2000s: about 22,690 units, 19% (±1)
- 2010s: about 17,220 units, 14% (±1)
- 2020 or later: about 4,690 units, 4% (±1)
Climate Across New Hanover County
The state energy code marks New Hanover County warm and humid.
NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals for New Hanover County towns, by station: Wilmington International Airport station (Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach): about 2,330 heating and 2,130 cooling degree days; Southport 5 N station (Carolina Beach and Kure Beach): about 2,200 heating and 2,230 cooling degree days.
Power and Gas in New Hanover County
The card lists New Hanover County's town utilities by the territory maps; a power bill confirms the one at an address.
Piedmont Natural Gas holds the New Hanover County gas franchise (NC Utilities Commission map), and 9 percent of New Hanover County homes heat with piped gas.
Who Supplies Power in New Hanover County
- Duke Energy Progress: Wilmington, Carolina Beach, Wrightsville Beach and Kure Beach
Energy Programs for New Hanover County Homes
Check each program's current terms for a New Hanover 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 New Hanover County
- Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Duke Energy rebate; Wilmington, Carolina Beach, Wrightsville Beach and Kure Beach).
- Home Energy House Call (Duke Energy home assessment; Wilmington, Carolina Beach, Wrightsville Beach and Kure Beach).
- Income-qualified Weatherization (Duke Energy income-qualified; Wilmington, Carolina Beach, Wrightsville Beach and Kure Beach).
- Energy Saver North Carolina (statewide income-qualified; any New Hanover County address).
- Weatherization Assistance Program (statewide income-qualified; any New Hanover County address).
- Piedmont Natural Gas lists rebates for high-efficiency gas furnaces, and none for insulation or air sealing (program page).
New Hanover County Insulation FAQs
Do you serve all of New Hanover County?
Yes: Wilmington, Carolina Beach, Wrightsville Beach and Kure Beach, and every unincorporated New Hanover County address.
Which utilities offer insulation rebates in New Hanover County?
Duke Energy's Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Wilmington, Carolina Beach, Wrightsville Beach and Kure Beach).
Does attic insulation in New Hanover County need a permit?
Ask New Hanover County Permits & Inspections before work starts. For an address in Wilmington, Carolina Beach, Wrightsville Beach or another New Hanover County town, the town or city hall can tell you whether New Hanover County's office handles its permits.
Counties Near New Hanover County
Pender County · Brunswick County · Columbus County · Onslow County · Bladen County · All service areas
New Hanover County, NC
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Insulation Pros in New Hanover County
An insulation contractor serving North Carolina, New Hanover County included.
Send the square footage of your New Hanover County attic, or call (336) 870-3893.