Surry County, North Carolina: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Mount Airy, Elkin and Dobson
Surry County is one of the places pushing back on the data center build-out. Surry County is home to Mount Airy, Elkin, Dobson and Pilot Mountain. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “Two-year data center moratorium”. 86 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 92 MW of capacity, 98% of it solar. Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC is the largest utility serving Surry County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 13.94¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.11¢ median for North Carolina utilities.
Cities and towns in Surry County
Surry County is home to Mount Airy, Elkin, Dobson and Pilot Mountain.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Flat Rock, Lowgap, Toast, White Plains.
Residents are 2025 Census estimates for the part of each city, town or township inside this county. Census publishes no annual estimate for unincorporated communities.
What changed in Surry County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 71,386 | 72,287 | ▲ 1.3% | 38th of 100 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 28,963 | 28,718 | ▼ 0.8% | 65th of 100 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $37,711 | $51,491 | ▲ 36.5% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.7% | 3.3% | ▼ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 86 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 3.3% in August 2026, against 3.7% in 2019. Employers here counted 28,718 jobs in 2025, down 0.8% from 2019. 72,287 people live here, up 1.3% since 2020.
Who powers Surry County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +86 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Surry County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,919,372 | 13.94¢ | 42% |
| Surry-Yadkin Elec Member Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 28,080 | 16.06¢ | 6% |
Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.
Operating power plants 8
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 90 MW | 98% |
| Other technologies | 2 MW | 2% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Partin Solar | Partin Solar, LLC | Solar | 50 MW | 2023 |
| Stony Knoll Solar, LLC | Deriva Energy | Solar | 23 MW | 2022 |
| 1001 Ebenezer Church Solar | 1001 Ebenezer Church Solar, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2021 |
| 1008 Matthews Solar | 1008 Matthews Solar, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2021 |
| Ararat Rock Solar, LLC | Oppidum Renewables USA, LLC | Solar | 4 MW | 2012 |
| Hayes Solar, LLC | Hayes Solar, LLC | Solar | 3 MW | 2020 |
The Surry County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 28,718 | $51,491 | 1.00 |
Concentration is the BLS location quotient: 1.0 means the industry holds the same share of local jobs as it does nationally. Industry rows count private employers; cells BLS suppresses are left out.
Data centers and local rules in Surry County
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two-year data center moratorium | In force | 2026-07 |
Surry County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Surry County, Stokes County carries the most build-out activity: data centers, planned generation and operating plants combined.
| County | Population | Jobs since 2019 | Operating MW | Planned MW | Data centers | Local measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surry County | 72,287 | ▼ 0.8% | 92 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Alleghany County | 11,479 | ▲ 4.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Carroll County VA | 29,299 | ▼ 6.7% | 50 MW | — | — | — |
| Forsyth County | 401,718 | ▼ 0.4% | 21 MW | — | 2 | 2 |
| Grayson County VA | 15,230 | ▲ 1.2% | 5 MW | — | — | — |
| Patrick County VA | 17,424 | ▼ 8.7% | 12 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Stokes County | 46,126 | ▼ 1.0% | 2,555 MW | 34 MW | — | 1 |
| Wilkes County | 66,233 | ▼ 10.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Yadkin County | 38,325 | ▼ 0.7% | 103 MW | — | — | 1 |
More of North Carolina
Surry County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Surry County, North Carolina?
2 utilities have service territory in Surry County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, Surry-Yadkin Elec Member Corp. The largest, Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, charged residential customers 13.94¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Mount Airy, NC in?
Mount Airy is in Surry County, North Carolina. About 10,682 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Surry County?
8 operating plants with 92 MW of capacity. The largest is Partin Solar (50 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Surry County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Surry County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Forsyth County.
Is Surry County adding jobs?
Employers counted 28,718 jobs in 2025 against 28,963 in 2019 (-0.8%, BLS QCEW).
Does Surry County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Surry County, 1 in force.