Wilkes County and Its Homes
Wilkes County grew 1 percent from 2020 to 2025, to 66,233 people by the Census Bureau's estimate, in about 31,800 housing units.
Its three incorporated towns each have a page here: North Wilkesboro, Wilkesboro and Ronda. About 15 percent of Wilkes County's housing units are inside town limits, the rest in unincorporated areas.
Wilkes County at a Glance
- Population: 66,233 (2025), 65,871 (2020)
- Housing units: about 31,800
- Median year built: 1980 (North Carolina: 1991)
- Built before 1980: 51% (statewide: 34%)
- Detached houses: 66%
- Mobile homes: 24%
- Owner-occupied: 74%
- Heated with electricity: 74% (statewide: 65%)
- Climate zone: 3 (2021 map), 4 (state code)
- Towns with pages here: 3
Census Bureau estimates for Wilkes County (housing: 2020 to 2024).
Towns and Communities in Wilkes County
North Wilkesboro
4,369 people · median home 1965 · Duke Energy Carolinas
Wilkesboro
3,618 people · Duke Energy Carolinas
Ronda
447 people · Duke Energy Carolinas
Unincorporated communities the Census Bureau maps in Wilkes County: Fairplains (about 860 housing units, median year built 1972), Mulberry (median year built 1978), Cricket, Millers Creek (median year built 1977), Moravian Falls, Hays and Pleasant Hill.
What We Do in Wilkes County
Attic Insulation in Wilkes County
Some 51 percent of Wilkes 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 Wilkes County
Wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation comes out of Wilkes County attics, and a mouse-soiled Wilkes County attic is sanitized and deodorized; in the 20 percent of homes built before 1960, vermiculite is ruled out first.
Air Sealing in Wilkes County
Some 74 percent of Wilkes County homes heat with electricity, often through attic ducts; their joints and the ceiling's gaps are sealed first.
Homes in Wilkes County
Half of Wilkes County's 31,800 housing units were built before 1980: 33 percent before 1970, 51 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 1970s; fiberglass from those years may have settled, so check its depth against the joists.
Wilkes County by type: 66 percent detached houses, 9 percent in buildings of two or more homes and 24 percent mobile homes (11 percent statewide). In Wilkes County, 74 percent of homes heat with electricity, 10 percent with tank gas, 7 percent with oil or kerosene (2 percent statewide) and 6 percent with wood (1 percent statewide).
Wilkes County Homes by Year Built
- Before 1940: about 1,910 units, 6% (±1)
- 1940s: about 1,700 units, 5% (±1)
- 1950s: about 2,660 units, 8% (±1)
- 1960s: about 4,200 units, 13% (±2)
- 1970s: about 5,700 units, 18% (±2)
- 1980s: about 5,700 units, 18% (±2)
- 1990s: about 4,650 units, 15% (±2)
- 2000s: about 3,420 units, 11% (±1)
- 2010s: about 1,730 units, 5% (±1)
- 2020 or later: about 170 units, 1% (±1)
Climate Across Wilkes County
NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals for Wilkes County towns, by station: North Wilkesboro station (North Wilkesboro and Wilkesboro): about 4,000 heating and 1,200 cooling degree days; Elkin station (Ronda): about 4,360 heating and 1,090 cooling degree days.
Power and Gas in Wilkes County
The card lists Wilkes County's town and countryside utilities by the territory maps; a power bill confirms the one at an address.
Frontier Natural Gas holds the Wilkes County gas franchise (NC Utilities Commission map), and 2 percent of Wilkes County homes heat with piped gas.
Who Supplies Power in Wilkes County
- Duke Energy Carolinas: North Wilkesboro, Wilkesboro and Ronda
- Surry-Yadkin EMC: homes near North Wilkesboro and Ronda
- Blue Ridge Energy: other parts of Wilkes County
- EnergyUnited: other parts of Wilkes County
Energy Programs for Wilkes County Homes
Check each program's current terms for a Wilkes 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 Wilkes County
- Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Duke Energy rebate; North Wilkesboro, Wilkesboro and Ronda).
- Weatherization Rebates (Smart Rebates) (Blue Ridge Energy; parts of Wilkes County): air sealing, duct sealing and insulation rebates.
- Home Energy House Call (Duke Energy home assessment; North Wilkesboro, Wilkesboro and Ronda).
- Home Energy Audits (Surry-Yadkin EMC; near North Wilkesboro and near Ronda): home energy audits for members.
- Income-qualified Weatherization (Duke Energy income-qualified; North Wilkesboro, Wilkesboro and Ronda).
- Energy Saver North Carolina (statewide income-qualified; any Wilkes County address).
- Weatherization Assistance Program (statewide income-qualified; any Wilkes County address).
Wilkes County Insulation FAQs
Do you serve all of Wilkes County?
Yes: North Wilkesboro, Wilkesboro and Ronda, and every unincorporated Wilkes County address.
Which utilities offer insulation rebates in Wilkes County?
Duke Energy's Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (North Wilkesboro, Wilkesboro and Ronda); Blue Ridge Energy's Weatherization Rebates (Smart Rebates) (parts of Wilkes County).
Does attic insulation in Wilkes County need a permit?
Ask Wilkes County Permit Information before work starts. For an address in North Wilkesboro, Wilkesboro or Ronda, the town or city hall can tell you whether Wilkes County's office handles its permits.
Counties Near Wilkes County
Alleghany County · Alexander County · Ashe County · Caldwell County · Yadkin County · All service areas
Wilkes County, NC
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Insulation Pros in Wilkes County
An insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Wilkes County included.
Send the square footage of your Wilkes County attic, or call (336) 870-3893.