Surry County, NC

County

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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

6.73% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

31,736

0.701% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Surry County, NC reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

96.1% of the residents in Surry County, NC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Surry County, NC are Surry Community College (861 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Surry County, NC was $177,600, and the homeownership rate was 73.4%.

Most people in Surry County, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 24.3 minutes. The average car ownership in Surry County, NC was 2 cars per household.

Surry County, NC borders Alleghany County, NC, Forsyth County, NC, Stokes County, NC, Wilkes County, NC, Yadkin County, NC, Carroll County, VA, Grayson County, VA, and Patrick County, VA.

United States North Carolina Mount Airy, NC

Population & Diversity

Surry County, NC is home to a population of 71.4k people, from which 96.1% are citizens. As of 2024, 6.1% of Surry County, 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 Surry County, 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 Surry County, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Surry County, NC was 96%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Surry County, 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 Surry County, NC are hispanic (8.95k people).

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

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Mexico
224,963 ± 11,520 people
India
83,219 ± 7,055 people
Honduras
48,247 ± 5,380 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 224,963 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 83,219 and Honduras with 48,247.

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 Surry County, 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 Surry County, NC was 5.87%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Surry County, 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

Surry County, 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 Surry County, NC.

Economy

The economy of Surry County, NC employs 31.7k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Surry County, 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 Surry County, 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 Surry County, 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 Surry County, 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 Surry County, 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 Surry County, 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 Surry County, NC, though some of these residents may live in Surry County, 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

In 2023, universities in Surry County, NC awarded 861 degrees. The student population of Surry County, NC in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 1,077 male students and 1,681 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Surry County, NC are White (622 and 72.2%), Hispanic or Latino (157 and 18.2%), Unknown (41 and 4.76%), and Black or African American (18 and 2.09%).

The largest universities in Surry County, NC by number of degrees awarded are Surry Community College (861 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Surry County, NC are Liberal Arts & Sciences (196 and 22.8%), General Business Administration & Management (102 and 11.8%), and Accounting & Finance (57 and 6.62%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 2,758 students enrolled in Surry County, NC, 39.1% men and 60.9% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,924 records, of which 60% were women and 40% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
196 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
27 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
19 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Surry County, NC was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 196 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Surry Community College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

861 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Surry Community College with 861 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 384 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Surry County, NC, which is 0.805 times less than the 477 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 622 degrees mean that there were 3.96 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 157 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 ($2,432) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($113) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

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 Surry County, 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 Surry County, NC is 73.4%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

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

In 2025, 11.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Surry County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.63%.

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 Surry County, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Surry County, 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 Surry County, 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 Surry County, 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 Surry County, NC declined from $55,656 from the previous year's value of $56,095.

The following chart displays the households in Surry County, 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 Surry County, NC is from North Carolina.

0.467

2023 Wage GINI in North Carolina

0.47

2022 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2023, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.467 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.639% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.476. 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 Surry County, 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 Surry County, NC have a shorter commute time (24.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.62% of the workforce in Surry County, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 11.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Surry County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.63%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

16.8% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Surry County, 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 Surry County, 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.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 16.3% of the children was living in poverty in Surry County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 10.3%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

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

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 173 in Surry County, NC. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 73.4 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

89.2% of the population of Surry County, NC has health coverage, with 39.4% on employee plans, 18% on Medicaid, 15.4% on Medicare, 15.2% on non-group plans, and 1.3% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Surry County, NC see 1,779 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,779 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2462 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 668 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.6% were men and 51.4% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,779 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Surry County, NC

Primary care physicians in Surry County, NC see an average of 1,779 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,779 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Surry County, NC in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 22.2% under 18 years, 18.3% between 18 and 34 years, 39.3% between 35 and 64 years, and 20.3% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.6% were men and 51.4% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

10.8%

Uninsured

39.4%

Employer Coverage

18%

Medicaid

15.4%

Medicare

15.2%

Non-Group

1.3%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Surry County, NC declined by 9.47% from 11.9% to 10.8%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Surry County, NC changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 59.2 in Surry County, NC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Surry County, NC.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 35.3% in Surry County, NC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Surry County, NC.