• county
  • FIPS 37171
  • Largest town: Mount Airy

Surry County, North Carolina

Surry County had 71,547 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 532.6 square miles of land. It ranks 38th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 34th by land area.

Population
71,547
#38 of 100 in North Carolina · #773 in US
Area
532.6 sq mi
#34 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,958 in US
Density
134 / sq mi
#46 of 100 in North Carolina · #745 in US
Median household income
$58,211
#58 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,008 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Surry County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Surry County

Surry County population, land area and income

Surry County had 71,547 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 532.6 square miles of land. It ranks 38th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 34th by land area. That works out to 134.3 people per square mile, 1.4 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in North Carolina has 52,768 residents; Surry County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $58,211 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

71,547

3144th1st

773rd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

533 sq mi

3144th1st

1958th of 3,144 (US)

Density

134.3 / sq mi

3144th1st

745th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$58,211

3143rd1st

2008th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

71,547

100th1st

38th of 100 (NC)

Land area

533 sq mi

100th1st

34th of 100 (NC)

Density

134.3 / sq mi

100th1st

46th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$58,211

100th1st

58th of 100 (NC)

How Surry County's population changed since 2020

Surry County gained 176 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 0.2%. That ranks 85th of 100 in North Carolina for growth. The median North Carolina county changed by +2.7%, and the state as a whole by +5.7%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Surry County recorded 3,124 births and 4,750 deaths, a natural change of -1,626. Net international migration added +260 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +1,506. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 1,626 people.

71.4k202071.3k202171.5k202271.5k202371.5k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
3,124
Deaths
4,750
Net international migration
+260
Net domestic migration
+1,506
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+90

Where Surry County is

The Census internal point of Surry County is at 36.415400, -80.686500. It sits in UTM zone 17N. The map shades North Carolina's 100 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Surry County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Scotland County: +1.4%Rockingham County: +2.5%Franklin County: +15.6%Caswell County: -0.5%Stokes County: +2.9%Granville County: +2.3%Edgecombe County: +0.7%Randolph County: +2.8%Alexander County: +0.8%Person County: +2.4%Cherokee County: +5.2%Ashe County: +2.5%Davidson County: +5.2%Cabarrus County: +7.8%Mecklenburg County: +8.1%Burke County: +1.5%Cumberland County: +0.4%Northampton County: -4.9%Buncombe County: +3.5%Wilson County: +0.8%Bladen County: +0.5%Pitt County: +4.1%Yancey County: +2.7%Stanly County: +7.4%Harnett County: +9.3%Wilkes County: +0.5%Tyrrell County: +8.8%Pamlico County: +1.9%Hoke County: +6.0%Transylvania County: +2.5%Carteret County: +3.8%Durham County: +6.5%Anson County: +1.8%Pender County: +15.6%Alamance County: +6.7%Polk County: +4.9%Lenoir County: +0.5%Washington County: -3.0%Avery County: -0.0%Hyde County: +1.5%Gates County: -1.4%Davie County: +5.8%Jackson County: +7.4%Montgomery County: +2.5%Martin County: -2.0%Pasquotank County: +2.9%Perquimans County: +3.4%Cleveland County: +2.3%Sampson County: +2.3%Catawba County: +3.8%Alleghany County: +4.5%Robeson County: +2.3%Macon County: +4.4%Clay County: +8.0%Haywood County: +1.3%Duplin County: +3.8%Henderson County: +3.6%Craven County: +2.6%Warren County: +2.6%Graham County: +1.7%Union County: +9.9%Wayne County: +2.2%Gaston County: +5.9%Guilford County: +3.7%Yadkin County: +2.0%Watauga County: +1.0%Rowan County: +4.4%Swain County: -1.1%Chatham County: +9.4%Bertie County: -4.4%Halifax County: -2.9%Forsyth County: +4.1%Onslow County: +3.8%Dare County: +3.1%Chowan County: +1.3%Brunswick County: +20.9%Johnston County: +14.9%Orange County: +6.4%Currituck County: +13.6%New Hanover County: +7.5%Richmond County: -1.7%Vance County: -0.5%Iredell County: +9.9%Lincoln County: +12.0%Caldwell County: +0.2%McDowell County: +1.6%Rutherford County: +1.9%Mitchell County: +0.9%Moore County: +8.1%Columbus County: -0.8%Lee County: +8.1%Greene County: +1.1%Madison County: +5.0%Camden County: +7.5%Hertford County: -12.0%Beaufort County: -0.3%Jones County: +3.5%Wake County: +9.0%Nash County: +3.0%Surry County: +0.2%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +0.5%
  2. < +2.3%
  3. < +3.7%
  4. < +7.4%
  5. ≥ +7.4%
no data

Orange pin: Surry County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
36.415400, -80.686500
DMS
36°24'55.44"N 80°41'11.40"W
UTM
17N 528106.1E 4030069.6N
Geohash
dnqx5vjzh
Plus code
868XC887+59

Towns in Surry County

4 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Surry County, 17,503 people together, or 24% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Surry County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Mount Airy with 10,583.

  1. 01Mount Airy10,583
  2. 02Elkin (part)4,021
  3. 03Dobson1,469
  4. 04Pilot Mountain1,430
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Surry County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 8 neighbors for Surry County, including 3 across a state line. The most populous is Forsyth County, NC, with 398,143 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 122.4 miles ESE of Surry County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Winston-Salem, NC (population 255,769), 32.1 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Mount Airy, NC (population 10,583), 7.6 miles away.

Surry County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Surry County is 37171: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 171. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $58,211.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Surry County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 71,547. That is up 176 people (0.2%) from the July 2020 estimate of 71,371.

What is the FIPS code of Surry County?

37171. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (171) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Surry County?

Mount Airy, with 10,583 residents inside Surry County in 2024.

Which counties border Surry County?

8 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Forsyth County, NC; Wilkes County, NC; Stokes County, NC; Yadkin County, NC; Carroll County, VA; Patrick County, VA; Grayson County, VA; Alleghany County, NC.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.