Signature · 9.3% low-access (19th pct)
Surry County, NC
Surry County lands in the lower national band on low-access (9.3%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 9.3%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 19.5%
- on SNAP
- 71K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Surry County, NC
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-THIN
- LA-MODERATE 9.3% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -12.8 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-HEAVY 19.5% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.8% no vehicle
- DENSITY-THIN 5% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Wilson County (+ 0.0 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Surry County lands in the lower national band (9.3%, #2,541 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,541
- national by low-access %
- #66
- in NC
- 4
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 9.3% low-access (19th pct) (-12.8 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Surry County compares nationally
Surry County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 9.3% low-access share that beats 19% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,542).
Surry County's lower-band USDA tier split
22 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Surry County has 6 urban and 16 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
Surry County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in North Carolina, not a full county-board reprint
- Hyde
Hyde 60.5%
60.5 % low-access
- Haywood 9.5
Haywood 9.5%
9.5 % low-access
- Martin 9.5
Martin 9.5%
9.5 % low-access
- Surry 9.3
Surry 9.3%
9.3 % low-access
- Wilson 9.3
Wilson 9.3%
9.3 % low-access
- Caswell 8.7
Caswell 8.7%
8.7 % low-access
- Greene 0.1
Greene 0.1%
0.1 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 22 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 73,673 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 4 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 6,882 |
| Low-Access Share | 9.3%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,197 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 71,425 |
| Median Household Income | $55,656 |
| Poverty Rate | 16.8%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 5,839 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 19.5%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.8%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.5% |
Thick SNAP store book in Surry County
Surry County has 93 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 40 locations (43% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 40
- breeze mart, mount airy
- circle k 1522, mount airy
- circle k 1529, dobson
- circle k 1530, mount airy
- circle k 1531, elkin
- circle k 2701527, mount airy
- circle k 2704597, mount airy
- circle k 2723368, dobson
- circle k store 2702021, mount airy
- copeland food mart, dobson
- dobson produce, dobson
- dobson go mart, dobson
- elkin mart, elkin
- flying j 549, mount airy
- gas n go country store, pilot mountain
- grab and go mart, mount airy
- han-dee hugos 262, pilot mountain
- jakes gas n go, westfield
- level cross food mart, dobson
- mayberry mart, mount airy
- moore's general store llc, mount airy
- murphy express 8522, elkin
- n & d of surry inc, mount airy
- neighbours stores inc 1, lowgap
- oak grove market, mount airy
- pilot shamrock, pilot mountain
- quality mart #51 1751, mount airy
- quick stop, mount airy
- r stop inc, dobson
- r stop inc, mount airy
- run in 810, elkin
- sheetz 490, mount airy
- sheetz 493, dobson
- sheetz 535, elkin
- sheetz 790, mount airy
- speedway 6940, elkin
- speedway 6949, mount airy
- speedway 6950, mount airy
- speedway 6951, dobson
- swift stop inc, mount airy
Combination Grocery/Other · 34
- cvs pharmacy 3828, elkin
- cvs pharmacy 4297, siler
- cvs pharmacy 7325, pilot mountain
- dollar general 0425, dobson
- dollar general 11123, pilot mountain
- dollar general 14422, mount airy
- dollar general 4744, elkin
- dollar tree 1516, mount airy
- dollar tree plus 8898, mount airy
- dollartree 9299, elkin
- dollar general 11656, mount airy
- dollar general 13435, mount airy
- dollar general 15607, dobson
- dollar general 15611, mount airy
- dollar general 15804, mount airy
- dollar general 16521, mount airy
- dollar general 19730, state road
- dollar general 19965, mount airy
- dollar general 20776, mount airy
- dollar general 23390, dobson
- dollar general 23553, pilot mountain
- dollar general 24368, mount airy
- dollar general 30009, pilot mountain
- dollar general 30441, mount airy
- dollar general 534, mount airy
- dollar tree 351, elkin
- family dollar 11745, westfield
- family dollar store 18, mount airy
- family dollar store 647, pilot mountain
- mill creek general store, mount airy
- walgreens 10086, mount airy
- walgreens 11201, elkin
- walgreens 16112, mount airy
- walgreens 16123, dobson
Supermarket · 10
- aldi 66127, mount airy
- food lion 1347, mount airy
- food lion 1352, elkin
- food lion 2103, dobson
- food lion 441, mount airy
- food lion 944, pilot mountain
- food lion 288, mount airy
- ingles markets 115, elkin
- lowes foods 222, mount airy
- mayberry iga 848, mount airy
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- el ahorro tienda hispana llc, elkin
- los amigos carniceria, mount airy
- supermercado la lupita inc, dobson
Super Store · 2
- walmart 1039, mount airy
- walmart supercenter 1337, elkin
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- hawks' produce, elkin
Large Grocery Store · 1
- combs butcher shoppe, elkin
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- mt airy meat center, mount airy
Small Grocery Store · 1
- la esmeralda, mount airy
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in North Carolina
One of 99 counties in North Carolina, 6 are shown here.
Compare Surry County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Counties near Surry County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Surry County, both outside North Carolina so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside NC (9.3% here).
- Clinton County, NY · 9.3% low-access
- Clinton County, NY · 9.3% low-access
- McClain County, OK · 9.3% low-access
- McClain County, OK · 9.3% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside NC (19.5% here).
- Morrow County, OR · 19.5% SNAP
- Morrow County, OR · 19.5% SNAP
- Darlington County, SC · 19.5% SNAP
- Darlington County, SC · 19.5% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
Surry County inside a lower low-access state context
Surry County sits inside North Carolina (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
Read with this county
Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .
PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Figures for Surry County, NC are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 37171. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.
Note: This page presents public USDA and Census data for informational purposes and is not professional advice. Figures reflect the cited dataset vintages and may differ from the most recent local conditions. How this data is sourced & verified.