71,547 people (2024 Census estimate, +0.2% since 2020)
533 square miles of land · 134 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
35 active community water systems list Surry County in the area they serve, reporting 23,803 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| MOUNT AIRY, CITY OF surface water · local government · NC0286010 | 10,685 served |
| ELKIN, TOWN OF surface water · local government · NC0286020 | 4,076 served |
| DOBSON, TOWN OF surface water · local government · NC0286030 | 2,615 served |
| PILOT MOUNTAIN, TOWN OF buys surface water · local government · NC0286025 | 1,976 served |
| WEDGEWOOD/TOWN AND COUNTRY WOODS groundwater · private · NC0286156 | 587 served |
| HILLCREST/MCBRIDE HEIGHTS S/D groundwater · private · NC0286149 | 491 served |
| HOLLOWS WATER SYSTEM (THE) groundwater · private · NC0286146 | 378 served |
| WOODBRIDGE S/D groundwater · private · NC0286176 | 318 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 254 people were held in Surry County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2024), or 575 per 100,000 residents ages 15–64. In 2019 it was about 165.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
3 school districts have their office in Surry County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $96.3 million — $90.3 million to run schools, about $12,301 per student, plus $4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $16 million local (mostly property tax), $61.8 million state, $17.9 million federal. Long-term debt: $36.2 million.
Spent $24.1 million — $22.9 million to run schools, about $13,264 per student, plus $993,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $4.4 million local (mostly property tax), $14.6 million state, $5.1 million federal.
Spent $17.4 million — $16.9 million to run schools, about $13,671 per student, plus $418,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $3.8 million local (mostly property tax), $10.8 million state, $2.4 million federal.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Relatively Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Surry County about $26.9 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively Low; social vulnerability: Relatively High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
309 bridges in Surry County: 93 in good condition, 190 fair, and 26 poor (8.4%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| US52 over GRASSY CREEK · built 1962 | 28,500 vehicles a day |
| US52 SBL over TOMS CREEK · built 1960 | 15,750 vehicles a day |
| I-77 NBL over NC268 SOU.RR YADKIN RVR. · built 1965 | 15,250 vehicles a day |
| US52 SBL over SOU. RR HEATHERLY CREEK · built 1960 | 13,500 vehicles a day |
| US52 NBL over TOMS CREEK · built 1960 | 13,500 vehicles a day |
| US21B over YADKIN RIVER · built 1971 | 12,000 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $4 million of work in Surry County in fiscal 2025, about $55 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-09. Early voting: 2026-10-15 to 2026-10-31. Mail ballot request deadline: 2026-10-20. Election Day: 2026-11-03.
Source: NC State Board of Elections: upcoming election · NC State Board of Elections: vote in person · NC State Board of Elections: voter ID
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Surry County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Surry County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of North Carolina: the state government and every county in North Carolina.
Nearby counties: Yadkin County (18 mi) · Galax city, VA (21 mi) · Carroll County, VA (22 mi) · Stokes County (23 mi) · Alleghany County (25 mi) · Patrick County, VA (28 mi).