Surry County, North Carolina

NC · FIPS 37171 Republican

Located in North Carolina, Surry County has a population of 71,425 residents and a median age of 43.8 years, making it the #779 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 16.8%. The median home value is $177,600, and the median household income is $55,656, which is 26% below the national median.

71,425
Population
#779 of 3,222
$55,656
Median Income
-25.9% #2,427 of 3,222
43.8 years
Median Age
+12.6% #984 of 3,222
16.8%
Poverty Rate
+33.5% #2,268 of 3,222

Demographics

Surry County has a population of 71,425, making it the #779 most populous county in the US. The median age is 43.8 years, which is 12.6% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

93.9%
Native Born
6.1%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Surry County is $55,656, ranking #2,427 out of 3,222 counties — 25.9% below the national median. The poverty rate is 16.8% and unemployment stands at 4.4%.

Income#2,427
$55,656
-25.9%
vs nation
25th percentile
Per Capita#2,008
$32,573
-21.1%
vs nation
38th percentile
Poverty#2,268
16.8%
+33.5%
vs nation
30th percentile
Unemployment#1,571
4.4%
-17.4%
vs nation
51th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Surry County is $177,600 (-37.0% vs national). Renters pay a median of $761/mo and the homeownership rate is 73.4%.

Home Value#1,675
$177,600
-37.0%
vs nation
48th percentile
Rent#2,408
$761
-34.6%
vs nation
25th percentile
Homeownership#1,809
73.4%
+14.0%
vs nation
44th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Surry County, 20.4% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 39.5% below the national average, ranking #1,935 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
20.4% −39.5% vs nation
Rank #1,935 of 3,222
40th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Surry County is 73.7 years. 20.8% of adults report poor or fair health and 13.4% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#2,046
73.7
-2.0%
vs nation
33th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#2,003
20.8%
+6.3%
vs nation
36th percentile
Diabetes#1,729
11.1%
-0.3%
vs nation
45th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#648
33.7%
-9.7%
vs nation
79th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#1,300
5.5
-2.3%
vs nation
59th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#1,853
4.6
+2.5%
vs nation
41th percentile
Uninsured Rate#2,393
13.4%
+27.7%
vs nation
24th percentile
Physical Inactivity#1,517
25.7%
-2.6%
vs nation
52th percentile
Food Insecurity#2,647
17.9%
+24.3%
vs nation
16th percentile

Substance Use

18.7% of adults in Surry County smoke , 35.3% are obese , and 19.4% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 38.3 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#1,888
18.7%
+4.1%
vs nation
40th percentile
Adult Obesity#790
35.3%
-6.9%
vs nation
75th percentile
Excessive Drinking#1,322
19.4%
-2.5%
vs nation
58th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#1,542
38.3
+18.4%
vs nation
27th percentile

Safety

The homicide rate in Surry County is 5.8 per 100,000 and the suicide rate is 14.1 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 19.7 per 100,000.

Homicide Rate#732
5.8
-27.9%
vs nation
52th percentile
Suicide Rate#581
14.1
-28.8%
vs nation
77th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#927
14.5
-18.7%
vs nation
62th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#1,548
19.7
-2.7%
vs nation
45th percentile

Families & Children

16.3% of children in Surry County live in poverty and the infant mortality rate is 5.9 per 1,000 live births. The teen birth rate is 23.6 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Infant Mortality#546
5.9
-12.6%
vs nation
60th percentile
Teen Birth Rate#1,820
23.6
+8.3%
vs nation
39th percentile
Child Poverty#1,322
16.3%
-14.2%
vs nation
58th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Surry County is 67.7%. The mean commute time is 26.7 min, which is 3.4% below the national average.

Voter Turnout
67.7% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
26.7 min −3.4% vs nation
Rank #1,550 of 3,222
52th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Surry County voted Republican with a margin of 53.3%. The vote was 23% Dem / 76.3% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 1.9 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +53.3%
23% 76.3%
Dem 37,424 votes Rep
2020 REP +51.4%
23.8% 75.2%
Dem 36,638 votes Rep
2016 REP +50.7%
23.5% 74.2%
Dem 31,663 votes Rep
2012 REP +37.0%
30.9% 67.9%
Dem 29,096 votes Rep
2008 REP +27.9%
35.5% 63.4%
Dem 29,525 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Surry County, North Carolina

Surry County, North Carolina has a total population of 71,425, making it the 779th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Surry County is 43.8 years, which is 12.6% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Surry County is $55,656, which ranks #2,427 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 25.9% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 16.8%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 4.4%.

The median home value in Surry County is $177,600, 37.0% below the national median. Renters in Surry County pay a median gross rent of $761 per month. The homeownership rate is 73.4%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Surry County, 20.4% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 39.5% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 89.2% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 26.7 min.

Surry County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 81.1% of the population, followed by Hispanic or Latino (12.5%) and Black (non-Hispanic) (3.6%).

All data for Surry County, North Carolina comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.