Watauga County and Its Homes
Watauga County grew 1 percent from 2020 to 2025, to 54,786 people by the Census Bureau's estimate, in about 33,400 housing units.
Its four incorporated towns each have a page here: Boone, Blowing Rock, Beech Mountain and Seven Devils. About 35 percent of Watauga County's housing units are inside town limits, the rest in unincorporated areas.
Watauga County at a Glance
- Population: 54,786 (2025), 54,466 (2020)
- Housing units: about 33,400
- Median year built: 1988 (North Carolina: 1991)
- Built before 1980: 36% (statewide: 34%)
- Detached houses: 64%
- Mobile homes: 8%
- Owner-occupied: 62%
- Heated with electricity: 55% (statewide: 65%)
- Climate zone: 5 on both maps
- Towns with pages here: 4
Census Bureau estimates for Watauga County (housing: 2020 to 2024).
Towns and Communities in Watauga County
Boone
19,929 people · median home 1985 · its own electric system
Blowing Rock
1,324 people · median home 1985 · power varies by address
Beech Mountain
659 people · median home 1985 · power varies by address
Seven Devils
314 people · median home 1992 · power varies by address
Unincorporated communities the Census Bureau maps in Watauga County: Foscoe (about 1,500 housing units, median year built 2002), Cove Creek and Valle Crucis.
What We Do in Watauga County
Attic Insulation in Watauga County
Some 36 percent of Watauga 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 Watauga County
Wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation comes out of Watauga County attics, and a mouse-soiled Watauga County attic is sanitized and deodorized; in the 11 percent of homes built before 1960, vermiculite is ruled out first.
Air Sealing in Watauga County
Some 55 percent of Watauga County homes heat with electricity, often through attic ducts; their joints and the ceiling's gaps are sealed first.
Homes in Watauga County
Half of Watauga County's 33,400 housing units were built before 1988: 21 percent before 1970, 36 percent before 1980 (nearly all before the state's 1978 insulation rule) and 9 percent in 2010 or later. 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. Among Watauga County towns, the median home is oldest in Beech Mountain (1985) and newest in Seven Devils (1992).
Only about 21,200 of Watauga County's 33,400 housing units were someone's usual home in the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 survey; the heating shares below describe those households. Watauga County by type: 64 percent detached houses, 26 percent in buildings of two or more homes and 8 percent mobile homes. In Watauga County, 55 percent of households heat with electricity, 5 percent with piped gas (24 percent statewide), 19 percent with tank gas (6 percent statewide), 15 percent with oil or kerosene (2 percent statewide) and 5 percent with wood (1 percent statewide).
Watauga County Homes by Year Built
- Before 1940: about 1,150 units, 3% (±1)
- 1940s: about 920 units, 3% (±1)
- 1950s: about 1,490 units, 4% (±1)
- 1960s: about 3,350 units, 10% (±1)
- 1970s: about 4,990 units, 15% (±1)
- 1980s: about 5,950 units, 18% (±2)
- 1990s: about 6,220 units, 19% (±2)
- 2000s: about 6,130 units, 18% (±2)
- 2010s: about 2,870 units, 9% (±2)
- 2020 or later: about 290 units, 1% (±1)
Climate Across Watauga County
NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals for Watauga County towns, by station: Boone 1 SE station (Boone): about 5,690 heating and 300 cooling degree days; Blowing Rock 1 NW station (Blowing Rock): about 5,800 heating and 290 cooling degree days; Beech Mountain station (Beech Mountain): about 7,010 heating and 40 cooling degree days; Banner Elk station (Seven Devils): about 5,690 heating and 270 cooling degree days.
Power and Gas in Watauga County
The card lists Watauga County's town utilities by the territory maps; a power bill confirms the one at an address.
Frontier Natural Gas holds the Watauga County gas franchise (NC Utilities Commission map), and 5 percent of Watauga County homes heat with piped gas.
Who Supplies Power in Watauga County
- Boone's own electric system: Boone; parts of Blowing Rock, Beech Mountain and Seven Devils
- Blue Ridge Energy: parts of Blowing Rock, Beech Mountain and Seven Devils; homes near Boone
- Mountain Electric Cooperative: parts of Beech Mountain
Energy Programs for Watauga County Homes
Check each program's current terms for a Watauga County home; some pay only through the utility's contractor network.
Programs for Watauga County
- Weatherization Rebates (Smart Rebates) (Blue Ridge Energy; Blowing Rock, Beech Mountain, Seven Devils and near Boone): air sealing, duct sealing and insulation rebates.
- TVA EnergyRight insulation and air sealing rebates (Mountain Electric; Beech Mountain): insulation and air sealing rebates, TVA contractor network.
- Energy Audits (New River Light & Power; Boone, Blowing Rock, Beech Mountain and Seven Devils): an in-person energy audit that looks at insulation levels and the attic stairs, or a virtual one; renters need the landlord's permission.
- Energy Saver North Carolina (statewide income-qualified; any Watauga County address).
- Weatherization Assistance Program (statewide income-qualified; any Watauga County address).
Watauga County Insulation FAQs
Do you serve all of Watauga County?
Yes: Boone, Blowing Rock, Beech Mountain and Seven Devils, and every unincorporated Watauga County address.
Which utilities offer insulation rebates in Watauga County?
Blue Ridge Energy's Weatherization Rebates (Smart Rebates) (Blowing Rock, Beech Mountain, Seven Devils and homes near Boone); Mountain Electric's TVA EnergyRight insulation and air sealing rebates (Beech Mountain).
Does attic insulation in Watauga County need a permit?
Ask Watauga County Planning and Inspections before work starts. For an address in Boone, Blowing Rock, Beech Mountain or another Watauga County town, the town or city hall can tell you whether Watauga County's office handles its permits.
Counties Near Watauga County
Avery County · Ashe County · Caldwell County · Mitchell County · Wilkes County · All service areas
Sources
Census Bureau figures for Watauga County, Census Bureau place list, NOAA normals for the Boone 1 SE station, NOAA normals for the Blowing Rock 1 NW station, NOAA normals for the Beech Mountain station, NOAA normals for the Banner Elk station, NC Utilities Commission natural gas map (October 2026). How the town and county pages are made.
Watauga County, NC
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Insulation Pros in Watauga County
An insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Watauga County included.
Send the square footage of your Watauga County attic, or call (336) 870-3893.