Electric Consumer

Editor: Katerine G., Editor & Data Researcher · Research & publishing: Electric Consumer Editorial Team · Data retrieved · Sources named on this page: EIA-861, EPA eGRID, Census ACS, DOE LEAD, OpenFEMA NFIP · How we got these numbers · Report an error

Electric companies in Wilkes County, North Carolina

Wilkes County, NC ranks 14th of 100 North Carolina counties for ice storm risk, FEMA score 93.1. Wilkes County, NC has 65,983 residents. Wilkes County, NC: 4 utilities listed by EIA. Wilkes County, NC: home electricity prices of 11.54 to 16.06 cents per kWh.

Wilkes County, NC on the map

Wilkes County, NC and nearby counties, shaded by storm eventsAlleghanyAlexanderAsheCaldwellWilkesCatawba

Wilkes County, NC darker: more storm events

Outage risk in Wilkes County, NC

Wilkes County, NC, NWS storm events 2015 to 2025: 179 in all, 271.3 per 100,000 residents of 65,983, rank 8 of 100 North Carolina counties. Property damage in Wilkes County, NC: $3.3M, with 2 direct injuries or deaths.

Events by year in Wilkes County, NC

events a year, Wilkes County, NC

  1. 3'15
  2. 19'16
  3. 14'17
  4. 21'18
  5. 11'19
  6. 14'20
  7. 14'21
  8. 38'22
  9. 16'23
  10. 15'24
  11. 14'25

Events by type

events by type, Wilkes County, NC

  • Thunderstorm and high wind160
  • Winter storm and heavy snow12
  • Tornado6
  • Hurricane and tropical storm1
Wilkes County, NC outage-linked hazards
Wilkes County, NCFEMAScoreRankEventsPeakDamage
Wilkes County, NC, thunderstorm and high windRelatively Moderate78.522 of 1001602022 (37)$1.7M
Wilkes County, NC, tornadoRelatively Moderate72.546 of 10062017 (2)$1.5M
Wilkes County, NC, hurricane and tropical stormRelatively Low75.463 of 10012020 (1)$5K
Wilkes County, NC, ice stormRelatively High93.114 of 1000none$0
Wilkes County, NC, winter storm and heavy snowRelatively Low45.670 of 100122015 (2)$175K
Wilkes County, NC, heat waveVery Low28.076 of 1000none$0

Electric utilities in Wilkes County, NC

Utility listed for Wilkes County, NCTypeHome price ¢/kWhYearly bill at 1,015 kWhShare of Wilkes County, NC median income of $50,438
EnergyUnited Elec Member Corp in Wilkes County, NCCooperative11.54$1,4062.79%
Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC in Wilkes County, NCInvestor Owned13.94$1,6983.37%
Blue Ridge Elec Member Corp in Wilkes County, NCCooperative14.59$1,7773.52%
Surry-Yadkin Elec Member Corp in Wilkes County, NCCooperative16.06$1,9573.88%

Prices are statewide utility averages, not a county price.

Facts about Wilkes County, NC

Residents of Wilkes County, NC, ACS 2023
65,98340 of 100 North Carolina counties
Households in Wilkes County, NC
26,9752.45 people each
Owner-occupied homes in Wilkes County, NC
73.9%19,941 owner and 7,034 renter households
Median household income in Wilkes County, NC
$50,43879 of 100 North Carolina counties
Housing units in Wilkes County, NC
31,7444,769 vacant or seasonal, 15.0% of the units
Homes heated by electricity in Wilkes County, NC
72.2%19,475 homes, 41 of 100 North Carolina counties
Utilities listed for Wilkes County, NC
44 with a home price: EnergyUnited Elec Member Corp, Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, Blue Ridge Elec Member Corp
Lowest home price in Wilkes County, NC
11.54 ¢/kWhEnergyUnited Elec Member Corp, 28.1% below the highest
Highest home price in Wilkes County, NC
16.06 ¢/kWhSurry-Yadkin Elec Member Corp
Monthly bill gap in Wilkes County, NC
$46between the two at 1,015 kWh, $551 a year, 1.09% of the Wilkes County, NC median income
ZIP areas touching Wilkes County, NC
1528606 to 28697
Outage-linked storm events in Wilkes County, NC
179NWS storm events, 2015 to 2025
Homes built before 1980 in Wilkes County, NC
50.6%median year built 1980
Flood claims in Wilkes County, NC
16NFIP 2015 to 2025, $587K paid
Home energy burden in Wilkes County, NC
3.1%$1,503 a year on electricity (DOE LEAD)

Electricity price since 2015 in Wilkes County, NC

Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC charged Wilkes County, NC homes 10.62 ¢/kWh in 2015. Wilkes County, NC: 13.94 ¢ in 2024, 31% up. Wilkes County, NC: against 25% up for the North Carolina average.

Wilkes County, NC: a 1,015 kWh month at that price. Wilkes County, NC: $108 in 2015, $142 in 2024. Wilkes County, NC: $1,698 a year, 3.4% of the $50,438 median income.

Wilkes: 10 yearly prices
YearDuke Energy Carolinas, LLC, Wilkes County, NCWilkes: Gap to North Carolina averageWilkes: Gap to U.S. average
2015, Wilkes10.62-0.66-2.03
2016, Wilkes10.42-0.61-2.13
2017, Wilkes10.18-0.76-2.71
2018, Wilkes10.14-0.95-2.73
2019, Wilkes10.36-1.06-2.65
2020, Wilkes10.37-1.01-2.78
2021, Wilkes10.26-1.06-3.40
2022, Wilkes10.44-1.18-4.60
2023, Wilkes11.88-1.05-4.12
2024, Wilkes13.94-0.19-2.54

Wilkes County, NC: EIA-861 home prices, 2015 to 2024, not a Wilkes County, NC price.

CSV

Housing and heating in Wilkes County, NC

Wilkes County, NC: 16,061 of 31,744 homes were built before 1980 and 5,119 in 2000 or later. Wilkes County, NC has 21,577 detached houses, 1,347 homes in 5+ unit buildings, 7,528 mobile homes, and 7,034 of 26,975 households rent.

Age of homes in Wilkes County, NC

% of homes by decade built, Wilkes County, NC

  1. 6pre-40
  2. 540s
  3. 950s
  4. 1260s
  5. 1870s
  6. 1980s
  7. 1590s
  8. 1100s
  9. 510s
  10. 020+

Heating fuel in Wilkes County, NC

% of homes by main fuel, Wilkes County

  • Electricity72.2
  • Propane11.2
  • Fuel oil7.6
  • Wood5.7
  • Utility gas2.1
Wilkes County, NC housing against North Carolina counties
Wilkes County, NCValueState medianGapRank (1 = highest)
Wilkes County, NC, median year built19801985-5 years80 of 100
Wilkes County, NC, built before 198050.6%42.0%+8.6 points19 of 100
Wilkes County, NC, built 2000 or later16.1%24.6%-8.5 points90 of 100
Wilkes County, NC, detached houses68.0%69.0%-1.0 points57 of 100
Wilkes County, NC, apartments in 5+ unit buildings4.2%4.2%+0.1 points49 of 100
Wilkes County, NC, mobile homes23.7%17.7%+6.0 points26 of 100
Wilkes County, NC, renter households26.1%27.2%-1.2 points59 of 100
Wilkes County, NC, median home value$161,400$205,300-$43,90074 of 100
Wilkes County, NC, median gross rent a month$715$860-$14496 of 100
Wilkes County, NC, people per household2.412.41+0.0049 of 100

Cost of living with electricity in Wilkes County, NC

Wilkes County, NC: electricity $1,503 a year per home (DOE LEAD), all home energy $1,972, 3.1% of $63,216 income. 27,249 households in Wilkes County, NC spend about $41.0 million a year on electricity and $53.7 million on all home energy. Lower-income homes in Wilkes County, NC ($20,632 a year) spend 8.6% of income, 2.8 times the all-home figure.

Energy burden in Wilkes County, NC

% of income on energy, Wilkes County, NC

  • All households3.1
  • Lower income8.6
  • Owners2.9
  • Renters4.1
  • North Carolina counties2.1
Wilkes County, NC home energy cost by household group
Wilkes County, NCHomesIncomePowerGasOtherBurden
Wilkes County, NC, all households27,249$63,216$1,503$252$2173.1%
Wilkes County, NC, lower income9,908$20,632$1,364$186$2218.6%
Wilkes County, NC, owners19,892$73,409$1,590$322$2442.9%
Wilkes County, NC, renters7,357$35,657$1,267$62$1434.1%

Flood claims and flood insurance in Wilkes County, NC

Wilkes County, NC: 16 NFIP flood claims in 2015 to 2025, $587K paid, median paid claim $24,864.

26 of 45,646 residential structures in Wilkes County, NC carry an NFIP contract. 61 NFIP policies of any type were in force in Wilkes County, NC on 8 Sep 2026.

Wilkes County, NC: claims history, not an outage count.

Flood claims by year in Wilkes County, NC

flood claims a year, Wilkes County, NC

  1. <5'15
  2. 0'16
  3. <5'17
  4. <5'18
  5. 0'19
  6. <5'20
  7. 0'21
  8. <5'22
  9. <5'23
  10. 6'24
  11. <5'25
Wilkes County, NC flood claims and flood insurance
Wilkes County, NCValueMedian countyRank (1 = highest)
Wilkes County, NC, claims 2015-202516—79 of 90
Wilkes County, NC, paid 2015-2025$587K—69 of 90
Wilkes County, NC, median paid claim$24,864——
Wilkes County, NC, claims per 1,000 homes0.33.386 of 90
Wilkes County, NC, homes with flood insurance0.1%0.8%98 of 100
Wilkes County, NC, policies in force61——
Wilkes County, NC, repetitive-loss properties<5——

Wilkes County, NC: OpenFEMA NFIP, claims as of 8 Sep 2026, insured share as of 3 Aug 2026; counts under 5 are hidden.

Wilkes County, NC: flood claims by state, flood hub.

Climate and electric heating in Wilkes County, NC

Wilkes County, NC totals 4,010 heating degree days and 1,051 cooling degree days a year (1991-2020 normal).

For heating, Wilkes County, NC is the 18th coldest of 100 counties in North Carolina: 4,010 against a median of 3,342. For cooling, Wilkes County, NC is the 82nd hottest: 1,051 against a median of 1,516.

Wilkes County, NC runs furnace and air conditioner, 2,959 degree days apart.

Wilkes County, NC averaged 3,640 heating degree days in 2016-2025 against a 4,010 normal, 9% fewer.

Wilkes County, NC: electricity heats 72.2% of 26,975 homes, in a county with 4,010 heating degree days in a normal year.

Wilkes County, NC

  • Heating degree days, 4,010 vs 3,342120
  • Cooling degree days, 1,051 vs 1,51669
  • Electric heat, 72.2% vs 69.0%105
  • NC median county100
Wilkes County, NC: degree days, electric heat
Wilkes County, NCValueNC median countyWilkes County, NC, rank (1 = highest)
Wilkes County, NC, heating degree days, 1991-2020 normal4,0103,34218 of 100
Wilkes County, NC, heating degree days, 2016-2025 mean3,6403,04619 of 100
Wilkes County, NC, cooling degree days, 1991-2020 normal1,0511,51682 of 100
Wilkes County, NC, cooling degree days, 2016-2025 mean1,1651,65682 of 100
Wilkes County, NC, electric heating, ACS 2019-202372.2%69.0%40 of 100

Wilkes County, NC: ACS B25040, 26,975 homes; NOAA nClimDiv, retrieved 7 Oct 2026.

Analyst note on Wilkes County, NC

Wilkes County, NC touches 15 ZIP areas, 28606 to 28697, about 4,399 residents each. Wilkes County, NC counts 65,983 residents in 26,975 households. Household income in Wilkes County, NC is $50,438; 19,941 of its 26,975 households own.

19,475 of the 26,975 homes in Wilkes County, NC heat with electricity. Wilkes County, NC has 31,744 housing units, 4,769 (15.0%) vacant or seasonal, and 7,034 rented homes. Wilkes County, NC logged 179 storm events for its 65,983 residents.

The median home in Wilkes County, NC dates from 1980. Homes in Wilkes County, NC pay $1,503 a year for electricity. Wilkes County, NC home electricity prices run EnergyUnited Elec Member Corp to Surry-Yadkin Elec Member Corp, $46 a month apart at 1,015 kWh.

Bill and heat pump calculator, Wilkes County, NC

Compare Wilkes County, NC with its neighbours

ZIP codes in Wilkes County, NC

North Carolina: home prices since 2001, planned plants.

Questions on Wilkes County, NC

Wilkes County, NC: what do homes pay for electricity?

Wilkes County, NC homes paid 11.54 to 16.06 cents per kWh in 2024 across 4 listed utilities: $117 to $163 a month at 1,015 kWh, 2.79% to 3.88% of Wilkes County, NC income.

Wilkes County, NC: how many homes heat with electricity?

Wilkes County, NC: 19,475 of 26,975 occupied homes, 72.2%, rank 41 of 100.

Wilkes County, NC: median household income?

$50,438 in Wilkes County, NC, rank 79 of 100; 65,983 residents, 26,975 households.

Wilkes County, NC: outage-linked storms since 2015?

Wilkes County, NC: 179 NWS events, peak year 2022.

Wilkes County, NC: flood insurance claims since 2015?

Wilkes County, NC: 16 NFIP flood claims, $587K paid, 0.3 per 1,000 homes, 0.1% of homes insured.

How old are the homes in Wilkes County, NC?

Wilkes County, NC: median home built 1980; 50.6% predate 1980, 68.0% detached, 4.2% in 5+ unit buildings.

Wilkes County, NC: share of income for energy?

Wilkes County, NC homes spend $1,503 a year on electricity, $1,972 on all energy: 3.1% of $63,216; 8.6% for lower incomes.

Primary sources for Wilkes County, NC

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Wilkes County, NC ranks 14th of 100 North Carolina counties for ice storm risk, FEMA score 93.1.