Fast Facts for Surry County, NC

Economic Indicators

Population, 2009	73,569
Unemployment Rate, April 2011	10.1%
Labor Force, April 2011	32,737
Number Unemployed, April 2011	3,314
Average Weekly Wage, December 2010	$599
2010-11 Surry County Property Tax Rate (per $100)	$0.582
County Building Permits Issued, 2010	$17,761,640
Gross Retail Sales (FY 2008-09)	$628,813,122
Median Household Income, 2009	$41,217
Per Capita Income, 2009	$20,433
Crime Rate, 2009 (per 100,000)	3.1
Tourism Expenditures, 2009*	$86.79 Million
2009 Tier Designation	1
Land Area	532.17
Persons Per Square Mile, 2010	139.74
2009 Median Age	41

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2009 American Community Survey, NC Department of Revenue, NC Employment Security Commission, Bureau of Economic Analysis, NC State Demographics, NC State Bureau of Investigation, NC Department of Commerce EDIS, ESRI (www.esri.com). *This study was prepared for the North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development by the Travel Industry Association of America.

County and Municipal Population Estimates

County/Municipality	2009	2000	1990
Surry County	72,496	71,209	61,704
Dobson	1,452	1,457	1,195
Elkin	4,121	4,036	3,790
Mount Airy	10,631	8,484	7,156
Pilot Mountain	1,261	1,281	1,181

Source:  US Census, 2009 Population Estimates.

 July 2010

Top 12 Employers in Surry County

Top Employers	Product
Surry County Board of Education	Education
Pike Electric, Inc.	Construction
Wayne Farms	Poultry
Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital	Health Services
Surry County	Public Administration
Wal-Mart Associates, Inc.	Trade, Transportation
Northern Hospital of Surry	Health Services
WorkForce Carolina, Inc.	Professional & Business Services
Surry Community College	Education
Hanesbrands, Inc.	Manufacturing
Renfro Corporation	Manufacturing
Mount Airy City Schools	Education

Source:  North Carolina Employment Security Commission, December 2010.

 
Local Retail Business Sales

2009 Total Retail Sales (with food/drink) ($ million)	$683.5
2009 Total Retail Business (with food/drink)	749
2009 Sales/Business Total (with food/drink) ($)	$912,572

Source: NC Department of Commerce EDIS, June 2010