Surry County and Its Homes
Surry County grew 1 percent from 2020 to 2025, to 72,287 people by the Census Bureau's estimate, in about 33,700 housing units.
Its four incorporated towns each have a page here: Mount Airy, Elkin, Dobson and Pilot Mountain. About 25 percent of Surry County's housing units are inside town limits, the rest in unincorporated areas.
Surry County at a Glance
- Population: 72,287 (2025), 71,386 (2020)
- Housing units: about 33,700
- Median year built: 1979 (North Carolina: 1991)
- Built before 1980: 51% (statewide: 34%)
- Detached houses: 66%
- Mobile homes: 23%
- Owner-occupied: 73%
- Heated with electricity: 74% (statewide: 65%)
- Climate zone: 4 on both maps
- Towns with pages here: 4
Census Bureau estimates for Surry County (housing: 2020 to 2024).
Towns and Communities in Surry County
Mount Airy
10,682 people · median home 1967 · Duke Energy Carolinas
Elkin
4,130 people · median home 1964 · Duke Energy Carolinas
Dobson
1,474 people · Duke Energy Carolinas
Pilot Mountain
1,437 people · median home 1966 · Duke Energy Carolinas
Unincorporated communities the Census Bureau maps in Surry County: Toast, Flat Rock, White Plains and Lowgap.
What We Do in Surry County
Attic Insulation in Surry County
Some 51 percent of Surry County housing units predate 1980; joists showing above their insulation mean more blown-in fiberglass is due, R-60 from bare.
Attic Insulation Removal in Surry County
Wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation comes out of Surry County attics, and a mouse-soiled Surry County attic is sanitized and deodorized; in the 23 percent of homes built before 1960, vermiculite is ruled out first.
Air Sealing in Surry County
Some 74 percent of Surry County homes heat with electricity, often through attic ducts; their joints and the ceiling's gaps are sealed first.
Homes in Surry County
Half of Surry County's 33,700 housing units were built before 1979: 34 percent before 1970, 51 percent before 1980 (nearly all before the state's 1978 insulation rule) and 6 percent in 2010 or later (16 percent statewide). The largest share went up in the 1990s, under codes that asked for less than ENERGY STAR now suggests; ENERGY STAR notes insulation is often thinnest at the eaves.
Surry County by type: 66 percent detached houses, 9 percent in buildings of two or more homes and 23 percent mobile homes (11 percent statewide). In Surry County, 74 percent of homes heat with electricity, 3 percent with piped gas, 8 percent with tank gas, 9 percent with oil or kerosene (2 percent statewide) and 3 percent with wood.
Surry County Homes by Year Built
- Before 1940: about 2,940 units, 9% (±1)
- 1940s: about 1,840 units, 5% (±1)
- 1950s: about 2,900 units, 9% (±1)
- 1960s: about 3,800 units, 11% (±1)
- 1970s: about 5,760 units, 17% (±2)
- 1980s: about 4,680 units, 14% (±2)
- 1990s: about 6,030 units, 18% (±2)
- 2000s: about 3,640 units, 11% (±1)
- 2010s: about 1,860 units, 6% (±1)
- 2020 or later: about 310 units, 1% (±1)
Climate Across Surry County
NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals for Surry County towns, by station: Mount Airy 2 W station (Mount Airy, Dobson and Pilot Mountain): about 4,410 heating and 970 cooling degree days; Elkin station (Elkin): about 4,360 heating and 1,090 cooling degree days.
Power and Gas in Surry County
The card lists Surry County's town utilities by the territory maps; a power bill confirms the one at an address.
Frontier Natural Gas holds the Surry County gas franchise (NC Utilities Commission map), and 3 percent of Surry County homes heat with piped gas.
Who Supplies Power in Surry County
- Duke Energy Carolinas: Mount Airy, Elkin, Dobson and Pilot Mountain
- Surry-Yadkin EMC: homes near Mount Airy, Elkin, Dobson and Pilot Mountain
Energy Programs for Surry County Homes
Check each program's current terms for a Surry County home; some pay only through the utility's contractor network. Insulation Pros is an approved Duke Energy trade ally for Duke's rebate.
Programs for Surry County
- Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Duke Energy rebate; Mount Airy, Elkin, Dobson and Pilot Mountain).
- Home Energy House Call (Duke Energy home assessment; Mount Airy, Elkin, Dobson and Pilot Mountain).
- Home Energy Audits (Surry-Yadkin EMC; near Mount Airy, near Elkin, near Dobson and near Pilot Mountain): home energy audits for members.
- Income-qualified Weatherization (Duke Energy income-qualified; Mount Airy, Elkin, Dobson and Pilot Mountain).
- Energy Saver North Carolina (statewide income-qualified; any Surry County address).
- Weatherization Assistance Program (statewide income-qualified; any Surry County address).
Surry County Insulation FAQs
Do you serve all of Surry County?
Yes: Mount Airy, Elkin, Dobson and Pilot Mountain, and every unincorporated Surry County address.
Which utilities offer insulation rebates in Surry County?
Duke Energy's Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Mount Airy, Elkin, Dobson and Pilot Mountain).
Does attic insulation in Surry County need a permit?
Ask Surry County Inspections before work starts. For an address in Mount Airy, Elkin, Dobson or another Surry County town, the town or city hall can tell you whether Surry County's office handles its permits.
Counties Near Surry County
Yadkin County · Stokes County · Alleghany County · Wilkes County · Forsyth County · All service areas
Surry County, NC
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Insulation Pros in Surry County
An insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Surry County included.
Send the square footage of your Surry County attic, or call (336) 870-3893.