Housing data for Dobson, NC
Dobson, NC has an estimated 1,652 residents and 662 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a town in Surry County.
51.3% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $528 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 1,652 (±457)
- Housing units
- 662 (±147)
- Households that rent
- 51.3%
- Median gross rent
- $528
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +0.4%
What stands out in Dobson
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 30.1% (±9.3 points) in Dobson, higher than in Surry County (5.1%).
Households without a vehicle: 19.1% (±7.8 points) in Dobson, higher than in Surry County (4.8%).
Households that rent: 51.3% (±9.5 points) in Dobson, higher than in Surry County (26.6%).
Median gross rent: $528 (±$107) in Dobson, lower than in Surry County ($761).
Housing in Dobson at a glance
- Median rent: $528 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $629 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Rent burden: 42.2% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 51.3% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $43,750 median household income
- Home values: $173,900 median home value (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Homeowner costs: $1,311 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $1,290 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 30.1% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 44.9% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 51.2% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 7.9% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 77.2% heat with electricity
- Commute and cars: 18.0 minutes average trip to work
- Crime reported to police: 204 violent crimes per 100,000 residents
- Growth: +0.4% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 26.7% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 3.5% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Dobson against Surry County, its state and the nation
| Dobson | Surry County | North Carolina | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,652 (±457) | 71,425 (exact) | 10,730,404 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 662 (±147) | 33,747 (±137) | 4,895,668 (±642) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 51.3% (±9.5 points) | 26.6% (±2.1 points) | 33.4% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $528 (±$107) | $761 (±$23) | $1,228 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $43,750 (±$18,601) | $55,656 (±$3,280) | $72,388 (±$324) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $173,900 (±$95,804) | $177,600 (±$7,293) | $288,900 (±$1,086) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $1,290 (±$387) | $1,071 (±$40) | $1,896 (±$8) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 51.2% (±13.7 points) | 51.1% (±2.7 points) | 33.9% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 18.0 minutes (±4.8) | 24.3 minutes (±1.0) | 25.1 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 83.1% (±8.0 points) | 86.0% (±1.4 points) | 90.1% (±0.2 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 35.8 years (±2.3) | 43.8 years (±0.5) | 39.1 years (±0.2) | 38.9 years |
Dobson covers 2.0 square miles of land, about 813 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Dobson has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,646 (±273) | 1,652 (±457) | +0.4% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 747 (±105) | 662 (±147) | −11.4% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $553 (±$85) | $528 (±$107) | −4.5% | Down after inflation |
| Median home value | $133,200 (±$17,786) | $173,900 (±$95,804) | +30.6% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $35,956 (±$8,235) | $43,750 (±$18,601) | +21.7% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $933 (±$64) | $1,311 (±$243) | +40.5% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $1,223 (±$141) | $1,290 (±$387) | +5.5% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 51.0% (±9.1 points) | 51.3% (±9.5 points) | +0.3 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 6.9% (±6.4 points) | 7.9% (±10.3 points) | +1.0 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Dobson
In 2025, the Dobson Police Department reported 204 violent and 953 property crimes per 100,000 residents to the FBI.
Across Surry County, the departments that report recorded 194 violent and 1,055 property crimes per 100,000 residents that year.
Places near Dobson
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Airy | 10 mi | $725 | $181,900 | 44.6% |
| Boonville | 11 mi | $837 | $165,400 | 34.2% |
| Flat Rock (community) | 11 mi | $771 | $95,400 | 24.8% |
| Elkin | 11 mi | $807 | $226,900 | 39.2% |
| Jonesville | 12 mi | $499 | $102,900 | 55.5% |
| Pilot Mountain | 14 mi | $969 | $203,600 | 44.1% |
| Ronda | 17 mi | $875 | $109,500 | 22.6% |
| East Bend | 17 mi | $825 | $175,900 | 17.0% |
Places in North Carolina most like Dobson
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilkesboro | $764 | $223,700 | $40,907 | 52.0% |
| Jefferson | $748 | $236,000 | $40,590 | 55.1% |
| North Wilkesboro | $599 | $212,700 | $38,474 | 48.7% |
| Bakersville | $504 | $231,300 | $50,263 | 37.7% |
| Liberty | $742 | $194,500 | $39,663 | 56.5% |
| Clinton | $759 | $212,000 | $44,953 | 51.4% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across North Carolina.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Dobson, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $769 | $774 | $1,012 | $1,206 | $1,370 |
HUD income limits for Dobson, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $16,450 | $27,450 | $43,900 |
| 2 people | $21,640 | $31,350 | $50,150 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $35,250 | $56,400 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $39,150 | $62,650 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $42,300 | $67,700 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $45,450 | $72,700 |
| 7 people | $48,550 | $48,550 | $77,700 |
| 8 people | $51,700 | $51,700 | $82,700 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Surry County, NC, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $72,700.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Dobson
What is the average rent in Dobson, NC?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Dobson is $528 (±$107) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
Are renters in Dobson rent-burdened?
42.2% of renting households in Dobson pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Dobson?
Dobson has an estimated 304 (±89) renting households, 51.3% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Dobson?
The median household income in Dobson is $43,750 (±$18,601) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Dobson?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Dobson, NC is $1,311 (±$243) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
How much are property taxes in Dobson?
The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in Dobson, NC is $1,290 (±$387) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Dobson growing?
In Dobson, the number of residents went from 1,646 in 2015–2019 to 1,652 in 2020–2024 (+0.4%), not a measurable change.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Dobson town, North Carolina
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Dobson town, North Carolina
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Dobson town, North Carolina
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Dobson town, North Carolina
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Dobson town, North Carolina
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Dobson town, North Carolina
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Dobson town, North Carolina
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Surry County, NC
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Surry County, NC
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: Dobson Police Department (ORI NC0860400)
- FBI: Uniform Crime Reporting statistics and their proper use
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Dobson town, North Carolina (place:17340, in state:37).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .