Wilson County, North Carolina · Wilson
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Pipes freeze in Wilson County on about 5 nights a year, mostly December to January. Older homes, 19% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in September. Wilson County averages 12.1 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Wilson County spike on heavy-rain days, about 12.1 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 49 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
8% of occupied homes in Wilson County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the North Carolina county median of 11.7%.
About 94 nights a year here stay at 65°F or warmer, so basements and crawl spaces can grow mold even without a leak.
Local risk profile
Wilson County covers 368 square miles of northeast North Carolina, with about 79,290 residents and 37,053 homes. Wilson is the county seat; Elm City, Lucama and Stantonsburg are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1986.
56/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Wilson County ranks 40 of 100 North Carolina counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Wilson County ranks highest compared with other North Carolina counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Wilson County sits near the middle of the state. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 5 nights a year at or below 20°F (50th of 100) and 51 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On January 7, 2018 the low fell to about 5°F, and in the stretch ending January 2018 the county went 3 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs December to January. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 16 and end around Mar 24.
Rainfall is about average for North Carolina. About 12.1 days a year bring an inch or more (42nd of 100), most often in September, out of 52.9 inches of total precipitation. On October 9, 2016, 8.24 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 9.46 inches, ending October 9, 2016, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 49 days a year. Each cycle melts and refreezes water at roof edges and in foundation cracks, which is how ice dams and basement seepage get started.
Housing
North Carolina's 100 counties range widely in housing age; Wilson ranks 45th, with 42% of its homes built before 1980.
Housing age is mixed: 19% of homes are pre-1960 and 27% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
About 31% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
Here 14% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
Renters occupy 40% of homes. If you rent, the building is usually the landlord's to repair, but your belongings are only covered by renters insurance.
Beyond water
Wilson County averages 94 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in September. Keep indoor humidity under 60%, as the EPA advises, and dry any leak within 24 to 48 hours; in a humid month a wet basement left alone won't dry by itself.
Mold remediation: what to expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Wilson County it's 27% utility gas, 63% electric, 8% propane and under 1% wood. Fires here are likelier to start in the kitchen or the wiring than in the furnace. After any fire, keep the HVAC off until ducts are checked, or soot will travel through the house.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Wilson County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Nash gets more pipe-freeze nights than Wilson. Edgecombe County has the oldest housing nearby, with 54% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Wilson | North Carolina median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 19% | 18% | 39 of 100 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 42% | 41% | 45 of 100 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 27% | 26% | 47 of 100 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 14% | 17% | 69 of 100 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 13% | 70 of 100 |
| Wood or propane heat | 8.3% | 12% | 69 of 100 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 5/yr | 5/yr | 50 of 100 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 12/yr | 12/yr | 42 of 100 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 49/yr | 57/yr | 59 of 100 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 94/yr | 89/yr | 41 of 100 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest North Carolina county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Wilson County: freezing from December to January, heavy rain in January, July and September.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024); weather from NOAA nClimGrid-Daily county averages (EpiNOAA), 2015–2024, averaged across the county; county boundaries from Census TIGER. Reviewed 2026-10-21. Methodology