Swain County and Its Homes
Swain County shrank 1 percent from 2020 to 2025, to 14,024 people by the Census Bureau's estimate, in about 8,600 housing units.
Its one incorporated town, Bryson City, has a page here. About 10 percent of Swain County's housing units are inside town limits, the rest in unincorporated areas.
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Swain County at a Glance
- Population: 14,024 (2025), 14,107 (2020)
- Housing units: about 8,600
- Median year built: 1989 (North Carolina: 1991)
- Built before 1980: 37% (statewide: 34%)
- Detached houses: 66%
- Mobile homes: 26%
- Owner-occupied: 73%
- Heated with electricity: 62% (statewide: 65%)
- Climate zone: 4 on both maps
- Towns with pages here: 1
Census Bureau estimates for Swain County (housing: 2020 to 2024).
Towns and Communities in Swain County
Bryson City
1,525 people · median home 1977 · Duke Energy Carolinas
Unincorporated communities the Census Bureau maps in Swain County: Cherokee (median year built 1988).
What We Do in Swain County
Attic Insulation in Swain County
Some 37 percent of Swain 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 Swain County
Wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation comes out of Swain County attics, and a mouse-soiled Swain County attic is sanitized and deodorized; in the 12 percent of homes built before 1960, vermiculite is ruled out first.
Air Sealing in Swain County
Some 62 percent of Swain County homes heat with electricity, often through attic ducts; their joints and the ceiling's gaps are sealed first.
Homes in Swain County
Half of Swain County's 8,600 housing units were built before 1989: 21 percent before 1970, 37 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 1990s, under codes that asked for less than ENERGY STAR now suggests; ENERGY STAR notes insulation is often thinnest at the eaves. Bryson City's median home dates from 1977, 12 years older than Swain County's as a whole.
Only about 6,000 of Swain County's 8,600 housing units were someone's usual home in the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 survey; the heating shares below describe those households. Swain County by type: 66 percent detached houses, 6 percent in buildings of two or more homes and 26 percent mobile homes (11 percent statewide). In Swain County, 62 percent of households heat with electricity, 22 percent with tank gas (6 percent statewide), 5 percent with oil or kerosene (2 percent statewide) and 7 percent with wood (1 percent statewide).
Swain County Homes by Year Built
- Before 1940: about 270 units, 3% (±1)
- 1940s: about 270 units, 3% (±1)
- 1950s: about 490 units, 6% (±2)
- 1960s: about 750 units, 9% (±3)
- 1970s: about 1,430 units, 17% (±3)
- 1980s: about 1,260 units, 15% (±3)
- 1990s: about 1,790 units, 21% (±3)
- 2000s: about 1,790 units, 21% (±4)
- 2010s: about 500 units, 6% (±2)
- 2020 or later: about 80 units, 1% (±1)
Climate Across Swain County
NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals for Swain County towns, by station: Bryson City 4 station (Bryson City): about 4,170 heating and 840 cooling degree days. NOAA's Cherokee station, 9 miles from Bryson City, has about 4,340 heating and 780 cooling degree days.
Power and Gas in Swain County
The card lists Swain County's town utilities by the territory maps; a power bill confirms the one at an address.
Enbridge Gas North Carolina holds the Swain County gas franchise (NC Utilities Commission map); a franchise does not mean its mains reach every road.
Who Supplies Power in Swain County
- Duke Energy Carolinas: Bryson City
Energy Programs for Swain County Homes
Check each program's current terms for a Swain 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 Swain County
- Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Duke Energy rebate; Bryson City).
- Home Energy House Call (Duke Energy home assessment; Bryson City).
- Income-qualified Weatherization (Duke Energy income-qualified; Bryson City).
- ThermWise Weatherization Assistance (Enbridge Gas; Swain County gas customers): no-cost weatherization for gas customers, income-qualified.
- Energy Saver North Carolina (statewide income-qualified; any Swain County address).
- Weatherization Assistance Program (statewide income-qualified; any Swain County address).
Swain County Insulation FAQs
Do you serve all of Swain County?
Yes: Bryson City and every unincorporated Swain County address.
Which utilities offer insulation rebates in Swain County?
Duke Energy's Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Bryson City).
Does attic insulation in Swain County need a permit?
Ask Swain County Building Inspections before work starts. For an address in Bryson City, the town or city hall can tell you whether Swain County's office handles its permits.
Counties Near Swain County
Graham County · Haywood County · Jackson County · Macon County · Clay County · All service areas
Swain County, NC
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Insulation Pros in Swain County
An insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Swain County included.
Send the square footage of your Swain County attic, or call (336) 870-3893.