Alcorn County, MS Insulation Payback
Alcorn County attic insulation, by the numbers
Alcorn County, Mississippi is zone 3 under DOE's climate map (Mixed-Humid), which means real heating and real cooling seasons both, roughly balanced across the year. An uninsulated attic there should be built up to R-49. Going from R-2 to the recommended R-49 costs roughly $2,820 installed for a typical attic (about 1,000 sq ft), and pays for itself in about 2.4 years at an estimated $1,182/year saved. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
The breakdown behind the number
Split it out and it's roughly $900 a year on the heating side, $282 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Alcorn County lands in the 30th percentile nationally. Zone 3 alone covers 690 counties in this dataset, and Alcorn County comes in 118th by savings. Mississippi averages $1,022/year across the counties tracked here; Alcorn County comes in 16% higher.
Where these numbers come from
NOAA's CORINTH 7 SW, MS US station, 2.1 miles from Alcorn County, supplies the 3,392 HDD and 1,771 CDD this estimate runs on. By total degree days, Alcorn County sits at the 30th percentile nationally. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Alcorn County sits in moisture regime A (humid), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
Already have some insulation?
A shallower starting point changes the math: with R-11 already down, only the gap to R-38 needs filling, at roughly $1,620 for an estimated $159/year saved (~10.2-year payback). Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Next steps for a Alcorn County attic
Get more than one quote before committing. Attic access and any needed air sealing move the price around, and most contractors won't take a job below roughly $600 regardless of size - worth asking upfront given Alcorn County's estimated $1,182/year on the line.
Where these figures come from
Alcorn County's R-49 target and its degree-day figures both come from named federal sources - see the methodology guide for exactly which ones. The guide to what R-value actually means explains why R-49 is the target here specifically.