Surry County, North Carolina

County Distress Index: Elevated · 51.7 | 71,462 people · 65th most distressed in North Carolina
American Default Research

Behind on your mortgage or facing eviction? Take a 2-minute assessment to see your options.

Surry County, NC registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 51.7 — 1470th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Community Vulnerability, where uninsured and disability rates are well above the national average. Within North Carolina, it ranks 65th of 100 counties. Among its 8 neighboring counties, 7 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Surry County's primary driver is Community Vulnerability at 74.8 — above the national median.

Community Vulnerability Primary driver 74.8
Uninsured Rate 77
Disability Rate 73
Debt & Delinquency 59.2
Debt in Collections 61
Medical Debt 52
Student Loan Delinquency 65
Auto Loan Delinquency 70
Credit Card Delinquency 87
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 19
Income & Poverty 51.3
Poverty Rate 53
Income vs. State Median 59
Child Poverty Rate 42
Housing Cost Burden 39.6
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 53
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 41
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 20
Homeownership Rate 56
Rent-to-Income Ratio 29
Employment & Wages 33.4
Unemployment Rate 27
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 26
Business Formation Rate 48

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Surry County compares to its 8 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Surry County
Surry County, NC 51.7 Elevated —
Alleghany County, NC 60.5 Elevated +8.8
Grayson County, VA 59.9 Elevated +8.3
Carroll County, VA 59.5 Elevated +7.8
Wilkes County, NC 58.4 Elevated +6.7
Patrick County, VA 55.8 Elevated +4.2
Forsyth County, NC 53.0 Elevated +1.3
Yadkin County, NC 52.3 Elevated +0.6
Stokes County, NC 51.1 Elevated -0.5

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Surry County
DeKalb County, IL 51.7 Elevated +0.1
Coffee County, AL 51.6 Elevated -0.1
Wood County, WV 51.8 Elevated +0.1
Oneida County, NY 51.8 Elevated +0.1
Crawford County, PA 51.8 Elevated +0.2

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Surry County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Surry County

Find an Attorney

North Carolina State Bar Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

North Carolina State Bar Lawyer Referral Service 1-800-662-7407

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Surry County residents at no cost.

Legal Aid of North Carolina 1-866-219-5262
Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy 704-376-1600
NC Equal Access to Justice Commission
Duke Law School Community Enterprise Clinic

Self-Help Resources

NC Courts Self-Help Resources — Foreclosure Official NC court system resources for foreclosure proceedings and borrower rights
NCHFA Homeowner Resources Assistance programs, counselor referrals, and HAF information

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in North Carolina →

Continue Reading

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Surry County, North Carolina?

    Surry County has a County Distress Index score of 51.7 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,470th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 65th in North Carolina out of 100 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Surry County?

    The primary driver of distress in Surry County is Community Vulnerability, where the county scores 74.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Uninsured Rate, Disability Rate.

  • How does Surry County compare to neighboring counties?

    Surry County (51.7) can be compared to its 8 neighboring counties: Alleghany County, NC (60.5); Grayson County, VA (59.9); Carroll County, VA (59.5).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Surry County?

    Surry County, North Carolina has a population of approximately 71,462 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.