Surry County

Surry County, North Carolina — key demographics

Population

• 2020 Census: 71,359
• 2023 estimate: ~71,000 (slight decline from 2020)

Age

• Under 5 years: ~5%
• Under 18 years: ~21%
• 65 years and over: ~22%
• Median age: ~44 years

Gender

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Race and ethnicity

• White alone: ~90%
• Black or African American alone: ~3%
• American Indian/Alaska Native alone: ~1%
• Asian alone: ~1%
• Two or more races: ~3%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~10–11%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: ~79–80%

Households

• Total households: ~29,000
• Average household size: ~2.4 persons
• Family households: ~68% of households; married-couple families: ~49%
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: ~75%
• Median household income (in 2022 dollars): ~$52,000
• Persons per household: ~2.4

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey (5-year); Population Estimates Program (2023).

Surry County, NC snapshot

• Population: ~71,000; density ~132 residents/sq mi; predominantly rural outside Mount Airy, Elkin, and Dobson.

Estimated email users (adults 18+)

• ≈52,000 adult email users (~92% of adults), equating to ~73% of the total population.

Age distribution of adult email users (est.)

• 18–34: 22–23% (11.7k users)
• 35–64: 53% (27.7k users)
• 65+: 24–25% (12.7k users)

Gender split among users (reflecting county demographics)

• Female 51% (26.5k), Male 49% (25.5k)

Digital access and connectivity

• ~90% of households have a computer.
• ~79% of households subscribe to fixed broadband; adoption is highest in town centers, with rural townships more reliant on DSL or fixed wireless.
• Mobile coverage is strong along major corridors; wired options thin out in low‑density areas, which elevates mobile‑first email use.

Insights

• An older-than-average population means roughly one-quarter of email users are 65+, elevating healthcare, government, and retail communications via email.
• Email is effectively universal among working-age adults, supporting employer, school, and e‑commerce communication.
• Broadband adoption and smartphone reliance are rising, but last‑mile gaps outside municipal areas continue to temper email intensity and attachment-heavy usage.

Mobile phone usage in Surry County, NC — 2025 snapshot

County scale

• Population: ≈70,700 (2022 Census estimate)
• Households: ≈29,000
• Geography: Largely rural with small urban centers (Mount Airy, Elkin, Dobson) and terrain that includes Blue Ridge foothills and river valleys

Estimated mobile users and penetration

• Any mobile phone (adults and teens 13–17): ≈58,000 users, about 82% of total residents when including children under 13
• Smartphones: ≈52,800 users, about 75% of total residents and ~91% of mobile users
• Feature-phone users: ≈5,300 (about 9% of mobile users)

Demographic breakdown (modeled from county age structure and current rural adoption patterns)

• Ages 13–17: ~4,000 mobile users (≈95% penetration in this cohort), with smartphones ≈94% of devices
• Ages 18–34: ~13,300 mobile users (≈99%); smartphones ≈97%
• Ages 35–64: ~26,700 mobile users (≈97%); smartphones ≈91%
• Ages 65+: ~14,000 mobile users (≈90%); smartphones ≈70% Key implication: The county’s older age profile pulls overall smartphone penetration several points below the statewide average for adults, despite near-universal use among younger cohorts.

Access and subscription characteristics

• Households with any broadband internet subscription: ≈75–80% (ACS 2018–2022 five‑year range typical for Surry’s peer counties), below North Carolina’s mid‑80s statewide rate
• Households relying on cellular-only internet (smartphone or hotspot, no wired/fixed broadband): ≈15–18% of all households, higher than the roughly 12–13% statewide
• Prepaid and MVNO usage: meaningfully higher than state average (common in rural markets), aligning with the county’s older and lower‑median‑income segments; this contributes to a larger share of basic/feature phones than urban NC

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Network operators: AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile all serve the county; Verizon and AT&T have the broadest rural LTE footprints; T‑Mobile’s 5G covers main corridors and towns
• 5G availability:
  • Strongest in and around Mount Airy, Elkin, and Dobson, as well as along I‑77 and US‑52
  • Outside towns and corridors, service often falls back to LTE, with mid‑band 5G (the fast kind) patchier than in urban NC markets
• Terrain impact: Ridge/valley topography around Pilot Mountain State Park and the northern foothills creates dead zones and variable in‑building coverage, especially off main roads
• Typical speeds:
  • 5G mid‑band in town/corridors: commonly 150–400 Mbps down, when available
  • LTE in outlying areas: often 5–25 Mbps down, with congestion and foliage causing noticeable variability
• Backhaul and fiber:
  • Ongoing rural fiber buildouts by local and regional ISPs (including the Surry-area cooperative and Spectrum) are boosting tower backhaul capacity in built areas, enabling 5G upgrades and improving LTE consistency
  • State and federal programs (GREAT, BEAD) continue funding last‑mile fiber in unserved/underserved pockets, indirectly improving cellular capacity where towers can tap new fiber routes
• Home internet via cellular (FWA): Verizon and T‑Mobile fixed‑wireless home internet are being adopted in neighborhoods lacking cable/fiber; estimated uptake is mid‑single to high‑single digits as a share of households, higher than in fiber‑rich NC metros

How Surry County differs from the North Carolina statewide picture

• Smartphone penetration among adults is a few points lower than the state average, driven by a larger senior share and rural barriers
• Smartphone-only (cellular-only) households are higher than the state average, reflecting gaps in wired broadband and cost-sensitive segments
• 5G mid‑band coverage is more discontinuous outside town centers and interstates than in urban/suburban NC, with more frequent LTE fallback
• Feature-phone and prepaid plan usage are measurably higher than statewide, reflecting older demographics and budget optimization
• Coverage variability is more governed by terrain, with notable dead zones persisting despite nominal coverage on carrier maps

Bottom line

• Surry County has near‑universal mobile adoption among working‑age adults and teens, but lower senior smartphone adoption and patchier mid‑band 5G keep overall smartphone penetration and performance below statewide norms.
• A higher share of households rely on cellular-only internet than the NC average, and continued fiber/backhaul investments—plus targeted infill sites in terrain-challenged areas—are the levers most likely to narrow the gap with the state over the next 12–24 months.

Surry County, NC — social media usage snapshot (2024, modeled)

Quick stats

• Population: ~71,000; adults (18+): ~56,000
• Adults using at least one social platform: ~45,000 (≈80% of 18+)

Most-used platforms (share of adults; proxy rates applied from Pew 2024, rounded)

• YouTube: ~83%
• Facebook: ~68%
• Instagram: ~47%
• Pinterest: ~35%
• TikTok: ~33%
• Snapchat: ~27%
• WhatsApp: ~23%
• X (Twitter): ~22%
• Reddit: ~22%
• LinkedIn: ~22%
• Nextdoor: ~20%

Age-group profile (how usage concentrates)

• 18–29: Very high daily use; Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube dominate; Facebook secondary.
• 30–49: Heavy multi-platform use; Facebook and YouTube anchor usage; Instagram sizable; TikTok moderate.
• 50–64: Facebook and YouTube are primary; Instagram/TikTok niche but growing via short-form video.
• 65+: Facebook leads; YouTube moderate; other platforms limited.

Gender breakdown

• Overall social audience is near-even by gender in Surry (county population is roughly half female), with platform skews:
  • More female: Pinterest, Instagram (slight)
  • More male: Reddit, X (Twitter)
  • Near-even: Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, WhatsApp, Snapchat

Behavioral trends (local/rural NC patterns)

• Facebook is the community hub: buy/sell/trade and yard-sale groups, school sports, churches, civic alerts, local news, and local politics drive high engagement. Marketplace is a key channel for vehicles, equipment, tools, and furniture.
• Short-form video is now the growth format: Reels and TikTok clips featuring high school sports highlights, local events (e.g., Mayberry/heritage festivals), outdoor recreation, and small-business promos (wineries, breweries, boutiques) perform best.
• YouTube is strong for DIY and “how-to” (home repair, small-engine, hunting/fishing, cooking) and for long-form local event recaps.
• Business usage: Small businesses and tourism operators lean on Facebook + Instagram for events, promos, and stories; click-to-call and message objectives convert well for service providers.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is ubiquitous; WhatsApp sees meaningful use among Spanish-speaking households for family and work coordination.
• Timing: Engagement typically peaks evenings (7–10 pm) and weekend mornings; weather and school calendars noticeably shape spikes in local group activity.

Notes and method

• Figures are modeled by applying Pew Research Center’s 2024 U.S. adult platform adoption rates to Surry County’s adult population (U.S. Census Bureau/ACS 2023). Percentages indicate share of all adults; counts are approximations when multiplied by ~56,000 adults. Rural areas like Surry tend to skew slightly more toward Facebook and slightly less toward Instagram/TikTok than large metros, but the platform ranking above holds.