Electric companies in Burke County, North Carolina
Burke County, NC ranks 17 of 100 North Carolina counties for the oldest homes (median year built 1980). Burke County in North Carolina has 87,863 residents and 4 utilities listed by EIA, with home prices of 10.67 to 13.94 cents per kWh.
Burke County on the map
Burke County darker: more storm events
Electric utilities in Burke County
| Utility listed for Burke County, NC | Type | Home price ¢/kWh | Yearly bill at 1,015 kWh | Share of Burke County, NC median income of $55,684 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Morganton in Burke County, NC | Municipal | 10.67 | $1,300 | 2.34% |
| Mountain Electric Coop, Inc in Burke County, NC | Cooperative | 12.51 | $1,524 | 2.74% |
| Rutherford Elec Member Corp in Burke County, NC | Cooperative | 13.13 | $1,599 | 2.87% |
| Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC in Burke County, NC | Investor Owned | 13.94 | $1,698 | 3.05% |
Prices are statewide utility averages, not a county price.
Facts about Burke County
- Residents of Burke County, NC, ACS 2023
- 87,86333 of 100 North Carolina counties
- Households in Burke County, NC
- 35,8732.45 people each
- Owner-occupied homes in Burke County, NC
- 74.8%26,823 owner and 9,050 renter households
- Median household income in Burke County, NC
- $55,68463 of 100 North Carolina counties
- Housing units in Burke County, NC
- 40,0584,185 vacant or seasonal, 10.4% of the units
- Homes heated by electricity in Burke County, NC
- 70.8%25,398 homes, 45 of 100 North Carolina counties
- Utilities listed for Burke County, NC
- 44 with a home price: City of Morganton, Mountain Electric Coop, Inc, Rutherford Elec Member Corp
- Lowest home price in Burke County, NC
- 10.67 ¢/kWhCity of Morganton, 23.4% below the highest
- Highest home price in Burke County, NC
- 13.94 ¢/kWhDuke Energy Carolinas, LLC
- Monthly bill gap in Burke County, NC
- $33between the two at 1,015 kWh, $398 a year, 0.71% of the Burke County, NC median income
- ZIP areas touching Burke County, NC
- 1028612 to 28761
- Outage-linked storm events in Burke County, NC
- 148NWS storm events, 2015 to 2025
- Homes built before 1980 in Burke County, NC
- 50.6%median year built 1980
- Flood claims in Burke County, NC
- 77NFIP 2015 to 2025, $9.0M paid
- Home energy burden in Burke County, NC
- 2.5%$1,348 a year on electricity (DOE LEAD)
Housing and heating in Burke County
Burke County, NC: 20,284 of 40,058 homes were built before 1980 and 6,906 in 2000 or later. Burke County, NC has 28,316 detached houses, 1,977 homes in 5+ unit buildings, 7,577 mobile homes, and 9,050 of 35,873 households rent.
Age of homes in Burke County, NC
% of homes by decade built, Burke County, NC
- 8pre-40
- 640s
- 850s
- 1360s
- 1570s
- 1680s
- 1690s
- 1200s
- 410s
- 120+
Heating fuel in Burke County, NC
| Burke County, NC | Value | State median | Gap | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burke County, NC, median year built | 1980 | 1985 | -5 years | 80 of 100 |
| Burke County, NC, built before 1980 | 50.6% | 42.0% | +8.7 points | 18 of 100 |
| Burke County, NC, built 2000 or later | 17.2% | 24.6% | -7.4 points | 85 of 100 |
| Burke County, NC, detached houses | 70.7% | 69.0% | +1.7 points | 37 of 100 |
| Burke County, NC, apartments in 5+ unit buildings | 4.9% | 4.2% | +0.8 points | 44 of 100 |
| Burke County, NC, mobile homes | 18.9% | 17.7% | +1.2 points | 45 of 100 |
| Burke County, NC, renter households | 25.2% | 27.2% | -2.0 points | 65 of 100 |
| Burke County, NC, median home value | $170,500 | $205,300 | -$34,800 | 69 of 100 |
| Burke County, NC, median gross rent a month | $805 | $860 | -$54 | 66 of 100 |
| Burke County, NC, people per household | 2.37 | 2.41 | -0.04 | 58 of 100 |
Outage risk in Burke County
Burke County, NC, NWS storm events 2015 to 2025: 148 in all, 168.4 per 100,000 residents of 87,863, rank 15 of 100 North Carolina counties. Property damage in Burke County, NC: $6.0M, with 1 direct injuries or deaths.
Events by year in Burke County, NC
events a year, Burke County, NC
- 14'15
- 15'16
- 24'17
- 18'18
- 15'19
- 11'20
- 10'21
- 14'22
- 8'23
- 15'24
- 4'25
Events by type
| Burke County, NC | FEMA | Score | Rank | Events | Peak | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burke County, NC, thunderstorm and high wind | Relatively Low | 48.7 | 65 of 100 | 115 | 2017 (17) | $352K |
| Burke County, NC, tornado | Relatively Moderate | 75.2 | 44 of 100 | 3 | 2017 (3) | $1.7M |
| Burke County, NC, hurricane and tropical storm | Relatively Low | 67.4 | 80 of 100 | 4 | 2020 (2) | $4.0M |
| Burke County, NC, ice storm | Relatively High | 90.8 | 18 of 100 | 8 | 2018 (3) | $0 |
| Burke County, NC, winter storm and heavy snow | Relatively Low | 36.3 | 82 of 100 | 18 | 2015 (4) | $0 |
| Burke County, NC, heat wave | Relatively Low | 65.3 | 41 of 100 | 0 | none | $0 |
Cost of living with electricity in Burke County
Burke County, NC: electricity $1,348 a year per home (DOE LEAD), all home energy $1,787, 2.5% of $70,438 income. 35,195 households in Burke County, NC spend about $47.4 million a year on electricity and $62.9 million on all home energy. Lower-income homes in Burke County, NC ($20,166 a year) spend 7.9% of income, 3.1 times the all-home figure.
Energy burden in Burke County, NC
| Burke County, NC | Homes | Income | Power | Gas | Other | Burden |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burke County, NC, all households | 35,195 | $70,438 | $1,348 | $251 | $188 | 2.5% |
| Burke County, NC, lower income | 11,818 | $20,166 | $1,218 | $157 | $213 | 7.9% |
| Burke County, NC, owners | 26,786 | $81,277 | $1,435 | $305 | $222 | 2.4% |
| Burke County, NC, renters | 8,409 | $35,913 | $1,070 | $80 | $80 | 3.4% |
Flood claims and flood insurance in Burke County
Burke County, NC: 77 NFIP flood claims in 2015 to 2025, $9.0M paid, median paid claim $76,513.
112 of 36,119 residential structures in Burke County, NC carry an NFIP contract. 134 NFIP policies of any type were in force in Burke County, NC on 8 Sep 2026.
Burke County, NC: claims history, not an outage count.
Flood claims by year in Burke County, NC
flood claims a year, Burke County, NC
- 0'15
- 0'16
- 0'17
- <5'18
- <5'19
- <5'20
- 0'21
- 0'22
- 0'23
- 71'24
- 0'25
| Burke County, NC | Value | Median county | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burke County, NC, claims 2015-2025 | 77 | — | 49 of 90 |
| Burke County, NC, paid 2015-2025 | $9.0M | — | 29 of 90 |
| Burke County, NC, median paid claim | $76,513 | — | — |
| Burke County, NC, claims per 1,000 homes | 2.1 | 3.3 | 53 of 90 |
| Burke County, NC, homes with flood insurance | 0.3% | 0.8% | 76 of 100 |
| Burke County, NC, policies in force | 134 | — | — |
| Burke County, NC, repetitive-loss properties | <5 | — | — |
Burke County, NC: OpenFEMA NFIP, claims as of 8 Sep 2026, insured share as of 3 Aug 2026; counts under 5 are hidden.
Burke County: flood claims by state, flood hub.
Analyst note on Burke County
Burke County, NC counts 87,863 residents in 35,873 households. Burke County, NC touches 10 ZIP areas, 28612 to 28761, about 8,786 residents each. Household income in Burke County, NC is $55,684; 26,823 of its 35,873 households own.
25,398 of the 35,873 homes in Burke County, NC heat with electricity. Burke County, NC has 40,058 housing units, 4,185 (10.4%) vacant or seasonal, and 9,050 rented homes. Burke County, NC logged 148 storm events for its 87,863 residents.
The median home in Burke County, NC dates from 1980. Homes in Burke County, NC pay $1,348 a year for electricity. Burke County, NC home prices run City of Morganton to Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, $33 a month apart at 1,015 kWh.
Bill and heat pump calculator, Burke County
Compare Burke County with its neighbours
- Caldwell County sits 14 miles northeast of Burke County, NC with 80,618 residents, 75 storm events, median home built 1981, energy burden 2.8%, income $55,401.
- McDowell County sits 20 miles west of Burke County, NC with 44,679 residents, 134 storm events, median home built 1983, energy burden 2.7%, income $55,527.
- Avery County sits 29 miles northwest of Burke County, NC with 17,643 residents, 42 storm events, median home built 1985, energy burden 3.2%, income $57,657.
- Rutherford County sits 29 miles southwest of Burke County, NC with 64,850 residents, 108 storm events, median home built 1980, energy burden 2.9%, income $49,771.
- Cleveland County sits 32 miles south of Burke County, NC with 100,170 residents, 94 storm events, median home built 1979, energy burden 3.1%, income $55,769.
ZIP codes in Burke County
- 28612
- 28619
- 28628
- 28637
- 28641
- 28655
- 28666
- 28671
- 28690
- 28761
North Carolina: home prices since 2001, planned plants.
Questions on Burke County
Burke County, NC: what do homes pay for electricity?
Burke County, NC homes paid 10.67 to 13.94 cents per kWh in 2024 across 4 listed utilities: $108 to $142 a month at 1,015 kWh, 2.34% to 3.05% of Burke County, NC income.
Burke County, NC: how many homes heat with electricity?
Burke County, NC: 25,398 of 35,873 occupied homes, 70.8%, rank 45 of 100.
Burke County, NC: median household income?
$55,684 in Burke County, NC, rank 63 of 100; 87,863 residents, 35,873 households.
Burke County, NC: outage-linked storms since 2015?
Burke County, NC: 148 NWS events, peak year 2017.
Burke County, NC: flood insurance claims since 2015?
Burke County, NC: 77 NFIP flood claims, $9.0M paid, 2.1 per 1,000 homes, 0.3% of homes insured.
How old are the homes in Burke County, NC?
Burke County, NC: median home built 1980; 50.6% predate 1980, 70.7% detached, 4.9% in 5+ unit buildings.
Burke County, NC: share of income for energy?
Burke County, NC homes spend $1,348 a year on electricity, $1,787 on all energy: 2.5% of $70,438; 7.9% for lower incomes.