Surry County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Surry County: 34 seats on 9 elected bodies. 19 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
Board of County Commissioners
Surry County Board of Commissioners
Each member is elected by the voters of their district.
Who lives in each of the 3 school districts (Census figures)
School district
People
Median household income
Below the poverty line
Without health insurance
Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent
Elkin City Schools
6,066
$62,519
18.1%
8.5%
59%
Mount Airy City Schools
10,441
$44,197
22.8%
9.4%
45.1%
Surry County Schools
54,918
$57,567
15.5%
11.3%
40.1%
Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates for each school district's area, matched to its board by name. They're estimates with a , larger for small districts.
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 9 local governments in Surry County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.
Kind of government
Census count (2022)
Listed on this page
County government
1
1
Cities, towns, villages and townships
4
1
School districts (school boards)
0
3
Special districts (elected boards)
4
1
Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Government Units Listing (census.gov).
About these counts
The Census Bureau counts every independent local government once, in the county it assigns it to: the one it mostly serves or where it's based. A city or district that crosses county lines is counted in only one county, so it may be listed on this page but counted elsewhere, or the other way around. Many special districts, such as housing authorities, have appointed boards, and some places have more than one elected body, so the two columns measure different things. School systems run by a county, city or the state aren't counted as separate governments (4 in Surry County), though their boards may be listed here; in some states the Bureau counts community or state colleges as school districts. The counts are as of 2022.
Who lives in Surry County
71,425people
43.8median ageU.S.: 38.9
$55,656 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
16.8%below the U.S.: 12.5%
20.4%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$177,600median home valueU.S.: $332,700
4.4%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
6.1%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
6.3%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
10.8%U.S.: 8.4%
43.3%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
25.8%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 12.5% · White 81.1% · Black 3.6% · Asian 0.7% · Other or more than one race 2.1% (Hispanic or Latino people can be of any race; the other groups are non-Hispanic.)
Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates (data.census.gov).
About these figures
The American Community Survey asks about 3.5 million households a year about who lives there, their work, income, schooling and housing. The 5-year estimates pool 2020–2024 answers so that every county and district has enough of them. They're estimates with a (larger for smaller places), and they're different from the once-a-decade census count. "Median" means half are above and half below. Household income is before taxes and includes everyone in the household. The unemployment share here is the survey's five-year average, so it differs from the monthly rate in the BLS jobs report. Race and Hispanic origin are as people describe themselves.
Health insurance means any coverage, private or public (such as Medicaid or Medicare), when people answered; the share is of everyone except people on active military duty and people living in institutions such as prisons and nursing homes. The housing shares are of renting households, and of homeowners with a mortgage, for whom the Census Bureau can compute them (households with no income, or renters who pay no cash rent, are left out). Rent here is gross rent, rent plus utilities; owner costs include the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities and fees.
Jobs in Surry County
2.8%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.4%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
886people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
31,021people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
31,907in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
2.8%
886
31,021
31,907
August 2026
3.3%
1,025
30,491
31,516
July 2026
3.5%
1,076
29,797
30,873
June 2026
3.3%
1,035
30,408
31,443
May 2026
3.2%
1,027
30,932
31,959
April 2026
3.1%
994
31,107
32,101
March 2026
3.1%
990
31,430
32,420
February 2026
3.4%
1,085
31,136
32,221
January 2026
3.6%
1,141
30,789
31,930
December 2025
3.0%
971
31,206
32,177
November 2025
3.6%
1,151
31,097
32,248
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.4%
1,081
31,017
32,098
August 2025
3.8%
1,225
30,629
31,854
July 2025
3.7%
1,171
30,504
31,675
June 2025
3.6%
1,161
30,672
31,833
May 2025
3.4%
1,091
31,093
32,184
April 2025
3.1%
1,001
31,261
32,262
March 2025
3.4%
1,094
31,273
32,367
February 2025
3.5%
1,118
30,915
32,033
January 2025
3.6%
1,143
30,950
32,093
December 2024
3.1%
980
30,966
31,946
November 2024
3.4%
1,083
31,093
32,176
October 2024
3.1%
994
31,448
32,442
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
3.5%
1,110
30,965
32,075
2024
3.3%
1,071
31,538
32,609
2023
3.2%
1,050
31,641
32,691
2022
3.5%
1,134
31,023
32,157
2021
4.5%
1,410
29,698
31,108
2020
7.0%
2,160
28,768
30,928
2019
3.7%
1,218
31,657
32,875
2018
3.7%
1,202
31,554
32,756
2017
4.3%
1,389
31,021
32,410
2016
4.9%
1,578
30,768
32,346
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, : BLS publishes county figures only that way, so they rise and fall with the seasons; compare a month with the same month a year earlier rather than with the month before. North Carolina's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 3.4% in September 2026. The latest month is preliminary and is revised the next month, and BLS revises earlier years each spring. People are counted where they live. October 2025 wasn't collected during the 2025 federal government shutdown, so 2025's yearly average covers 11 months.
Crime reported in Surry County
191.5 per 100,0002024. North Carolina: 379.2.
1,334.7 per 100,0002024. North Carolina: 1,978.3.
11murders2024, 138 violent crimes in all.
2024 is the latest year with complete reporting here: at least one of the county's police agencies didn't send the FBI a full year of figures since, so later totals would be undercounts.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2024
138
191.5
962
1,334.7
2023
133
185.9
1,007
1,407.5
2022
150
209.9
1,070
1,497.1
2021
124
176.0
1,166
1,654.8
2018
56
77.7
1,081
1,499.4
2016
124
170.7
2,073
2,853.7
By police agency (5)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Surry County Sheriff's Office
2025
101
340
54,083
Mount Airy Police Department
2025
21
219
10,562
Elkin Police Department
2025
13
141
4,088
Dobson Police Department
2024
0
28
1,463
Pilot Mountain Police Department
2025
1
35
1,429
Crimes to the county's city and county police agencies (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A), per 100,000 people they serve. Years with incomplete reporting are left out. Crime in North Carolina · the U.S.
Police staffing
2.19 per 1,000 residents2025, 5 agencies serving 71,631 people.
157sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
84civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (5), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Surry County Sheriff's Office
96
65
54,083
Mount Airy Police Department
30
14
10,562
Elkin Police Department
17
4
4,088
Dobson Police Department
8
0
1,469
Pilot Mountain Police Department
6
1
1,429
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
157
2.19
84
5
2024
165
2.29
84
5
2023
158
2.21
72
5
2022
154
2.15
69
5
2021
155
2.20
65
5
2020
151
2.11
71
5
2019
148
2.06
70
5
2018
146
2.03
62
5
2017
142
1.97
47
5
2016
144
1.98
44
5
Full-time employees of the county's city police departments and sheriff's office, as each reported them to the FBI (Uniform Crime Reporting, Law Enforcement Employees), per 1,000 people in the areas those agencies serve (the FBI's population figures). A year is shown only when every one of these agencies sent a count; a count under half or over double the agency's own counts in nearby years is treated as not sent. Towns policed under contract by another agency are counted through that agency. State police, campus and other agencies aren't included. Sheriffs' offices often also run the county jail and courthouse security, so their staff counts include those jobs.
Quick answers
Who is the Surry County Clerk of Superior Court?
L. Neil Brendle (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Surry County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Surry County Register of Deeds?
Todd Harris (Republican) is the Register of Deeds of Surry County, North Carolina.
Who is the Surry County Sheriff?
Steve C. Hiatt (Republican) is the Sheriff of Surry County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Surry County commissioners?
Mark Marion (Central District); Van Tucker (East District); Bill Goins (Mount Airy District); Melissa W. Hiatt (Mount Airy District); Eddie Harris (South District).
Who is on the Surry County School Board?
Johnny M. Blevins (Board of Education Member, City District); Earl M. Blackburn (Board of Education Member, City District); Richard Brinegar (Board of Education Member, City District); Haley McCoin Sullivan (Board of Education Member, East District); Jennifer Kleinheksel (Board of Education Member, West District); Tim Matthews (Board of Education Member, At-Large); Kyle A. Leonard (Board of Education Member, District A); Randy Moore (Board of Education Member, District A); Ben Cooke (Board of Education Member, District B); Jayme Reeves Brant (Board of Education Member, District B); Thomas Warren Horton (Board of Education Member, District C); Mark Welch (Board of Education Member, District D); Dale Badgett (Board of Education Member, District 1); Tony L. Hutchens (Board of Education Member, District 2); Kent Whitaker (Board of Education Member, District 3); T.J. Bledsoe (Board of Education Member, District 4); Raleigh E. Scales (Board of Education Member, District 5).
What is the population of Surry County?
About 71,425 people, with a median age of 43.8; the median household income is $55,656 and 16.8% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Surry County?
2.8% in September 2026 (preliminary): 886 people unemployed in a labor force of 31,907, against 3.4% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Surry County?
9 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 4 municipal and 4 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Surry County?
1: Dobson. Each has its own page with its mayor and council.
Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the NC State Board of Elections' certified results of each seat's last election (2022–2025, and the March 2026 nonpartisan school board elections); officials appointed since then may differ; each name links to its source. Officials change between elections (appointments, resignations), and the body's own website is the authority. Party is shown only for offices elected on a partisan ballot.
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