Mount Airy, NC

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

2024 Population

71,425

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

43.8

0.229% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

16.8%

0.754% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$55,656

0.783% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$177,600

Population & Diversity

Mount Airy, NC is home to a population of 71.4k people, from which 96.1% are citizens.

As of 2024, 6.1% of Mount Airy, NC residents were born outside of the country (4.36k people).

In 2024, there were 15.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (57.9k people) in Mount Airy, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 3.68k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 2.57k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.1%

2024 Citizenship

96%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.1% of Mount Airy, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Mount Airy, NC was 96%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Mount Airy, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Mount Airy, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
57.9k ± 191
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
3.68k ± 690
Other (Hispanic)
2.57k ± 531

12.5%

Hispanic Population

8.95k people

12.5% of the people in Mount Airy, NC are hispanic (8.95k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Mount Airy, NC as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for North Carolina.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
228,441 ± 11,609 people
India
90,815 ± 7,367 people
Honduras
52,061 ± 5,588 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 228,441 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 90,815 and Honduras with 52,061.

Foreign-Born Population

6.1%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

4.36k people

5.87%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

4.19k people

As of 2024, 6.1% of Mount Airy, NC residents (4.36k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Mount Airy, NC was 5.87%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Mount Airy, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,505 ± 256
Gulf War (2001-)
620 ± 152
Gulf War (1990s)
442 ± 114

Mount Airy, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.43 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Mount Airy, NC.

Economy

The economy of Mount Airy, NC employs 31.7k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Mount Airy, NC were Manufacturing (5,892 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (4,680 people), and Retail Trade (3,901 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($89,375), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($86,223), and Finance & Insurance ($81,250).

Employment

Occupations

31.7k

2024 Value

± 1,275

−0.701%

1 Year decline

± 5.78%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Mount Airy, NC declined at a rate of −0.701%, from 32k employees to 31.7k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Mount Airy, NC, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (3,900 people), Production Occupations (3,403 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (3,009 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Mount Airy, NC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in North Carolina (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

31.7k

2024 Value

± 1,275

−0.701%

1 Year decline

± 5.78%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Mount Airy, NC declined at a rate of −0.701%, from 32k employees to 31.7k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Mount Airy, NC, are Manufacturing (5,892 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (4,680 people), and Retail Trade (3,901 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Mount Airy, NC, though some of these residents may live in Mount Airy, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$44,821

Median earning men ± $2,192

$33,293

Median earning women ± $2,955

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($91,406), Wholesale Trade ($61,736), and Public Administration ($60,729).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($66,944), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($51,875), and Public Administration ($49,494).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

Y-Axis

3.04%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.86M people employed in North Carolina. This represents a 3.04% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in North Carolina.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

136
Retail Trade
134
Other Services (except Public Administration)
121
Construction

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$662k
Construction
$214k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$174k
Manufacturing

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

The student population of Mount Airy, NC in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 1,099 male students and 1,697 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Mount Airy, NC are White (636 and 71.9%), Hispanic or Latino (162 and 18.3%), Unknown (44 and 4.97%), and Two or More Races (20 and 2.26%).

The largest universities in Mount Airy, NC by number of degrees awarded are Surry Community College (885 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Mount Airy, NC are Liberal Arts & Sciences (201 and 22.7%), General Business Administration & Management (116 and 13.1%), and Accounting & Finance (63 and 7.12%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 2,796 students enrolled in Mount Airy, NC, 39.3% men and 60.7% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,928 records, of which 60.4% were women and 39.6% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
201 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
40 degrees awarded
Other Liberal Arts & Sciences, General Studies, & Humanities
28 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Mount Airy, NC was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 201 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Mount Airy, NC according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Surry Community College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

885 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Surry Community College with 885 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 355 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Mount Airy, NC, which is 0.67 times less than the 530 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 636 degrees mean that there were 3.93 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 162 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($2,550) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($118) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,700) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Mount Airy, NC was $177,600 in 2024, which is 0.534 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $166,400 to $177,600, a 6.73% increase. The homeownership rate in Mount Airy, NC is 73.4%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Mount Airy, NC have an average commute time of 24.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Mount Airy, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$177,600

Median Property Value 2024

±$7,293

$21,930

Median Property Taxes

±$1,030

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Mount Airy, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Mount Airy, NC compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

73.4%

Homeownership

2024

67.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 73.4% of the housing units in Mount Airy, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 73.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Mount Airy, NC compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$55,656

Median Household Income

± $3,280

29.9k

Number of Households

± 1,222

In 2024, the median household income of the 29.9k households in Mount Airy, NC declined from $55,656 from the previous year's value of $56,095.

The following chart displays the households in Mount Airy, NC distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Mount Airy, NC is from North Carolina.

0.466

2024 Wage GINI in North Carolina

0.467

2023 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2024, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.466 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.16% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in North Carolina in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in North Carolina across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (78.1%)
Carpooled (13.8%)
Worked At Home (6.71%)

In 2024, 78.1% of workers in Mount Airy, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (13.8%) and those who worked at home (6.71%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

24.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Mount Airy, NC have a shorter commute time (24.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.62% of the workforce in Mount Airy, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Mount Airy, NC compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Mount Airy, NC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Mount Airy, NC have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

16.8% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Mount Airy, NC (11.8k out of 70.3k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Females 45 - 54 and then Females 65 - 74.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Mount Airy, NC is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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