Mount Airy is home to 10,633 people in North Carolina. At a median age of 46.0, this is an older place than the country as a whole. That trails the North Carolina median by roughly 44%. 26.9% of locals live below the federal poverty line. 23% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $181,900.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $40,275, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 46.0
US median: 38.9
Less educated
23% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 31%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Mount Airy
What changed most since 1990
Poverty rate16.7% → 26.9%(+10.2 pts)US over the same years: −0.8 pts
Median household income (2024 dollars)$45,673 → $40,275(−12%)US over the same years: +14%
Mount Airy's population equals 15% of Surry County's. Its number of households without a car equals 34% of the county's. Its number of residents living in poverty equals 24% of the county's.
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)15.3%(84)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)18.8%(103)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era40.8%(224)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War12.8%(70)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 549 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Mount Airy, decade by decade
Mount Airy population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
7,156
$45,673
$105,363
12.6%
21.8
2000
8,484
$49,021
$138,628
20.2%
39.1
2010
10,388
$50,966
$167,018
25.9%
40.2
2020
10,676
$36,947
$159,626
23.1%
50.2
2024
10,633
$40,275
$181,900
23.1%
49.0
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
