What percentage of people rent in Mount Airy, NC?

Name: Renters and owners in Mount Airy, NC, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

44.6% (±5.8 points) of the occupied homes in Mount Airy, NC are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 2,168 renting households against 2,697 that own their home.

In Mount Airy, the share of households that rent went from 43.7% in 2015–2019 to 44.6% in 2020–2024 (+0.9 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 44.6% (±5.8 points)
Renting households: 2,168 (±348)
Median renter income: $26,667 (±$10,299)

Who rents and who owns in Mount Airy

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Mount Airy	Surry County	North Carolina	United States
Renter-occupied share	44.6% (±5.8 points)	26.6% (±2.1 points)	33.4% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	2,168 (±348)	7,939 (±674)	1,428,852 (±8,279)	45,017,354
Owning households	2,697 (±305)	21,930 (±629)	2,853,493 (±14,473)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.0 (±0.3)	2.2 (±0.1)	2.3 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.2 (±0.2)	2.4 (±0.1)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$26,667 (±$10,299)	$32,551 (±$3,606)	$48,010 (±$418)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$53,450 (±$12,088)	$68,759 (±$4,292)	$88,911 (±$521)	$100,009

In Mount Airy, the renter share is higher than in Surry County (26.6%).

It is also higher than in North Carolina (33.4%).

It is higher than the national figure (34.8%).

In Surry County, Mount Airy ranks 2 of 5 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 159 of 663.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Mount Airy has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	43.7% (±3.4 points)	44.6% (±5.8 points)	+0.9 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$612 (±$54)	$725 (±$75)	+18.5%	No measurable change after inflation
Median household income	$38,515 (±$5,411)	$40,275 (±$5,902)	+4.6%	No measurable change after inflation

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.

Households that rent in places near Mount Airy

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Mount Airy
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Mount Airy	—	44.6% (±5.8 points)	—
Flat Rock (community)	1.8 mi	24.8% (±15.4 points)	Lower
Dobson	10 mi	51.3% (±9.5 points)	Not measurably different
Pilot Mountain	12 mi	44.1% (±8.8 points)	Not measurably different
Hillsville	19 mi	47.2% (±15.1 points)	Not measurably different
Woodlawn (Carroll County)	19 mi	7.6% (±6.9 points)	Lower
Boonville	20 mi	34.2% (±10.2 points)	Not measurably different
Galax	20 mi	43.7% (±7.4 points)	Not measurably different
East Bend	21 mi	17.0% (±9.5 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Flat Rock (community), NC (24.8%), Woodlawn (Carroll County), VA (7.6%), East Bend, NC (17.0%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Surry County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Dobson	51.3% (±9.5 points)
2	Mount Airy	44.6% (±5.8 points)
3	Pilot Mountain	44.1% (±8.8 points)
4	Elkin	39.2% (±7.7 points)
5	Flat Rock (community)	24.8% (±15.4 points)

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 Mount Airy

How many renters are there in Mount Airy?

Mount Airy has an estimated 2,168 (±348) renting households, 44.6% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Mount Airy?

In Mount Airy, the share of households that rent went from 43.7% in 2015–2019 to 44.6% in 2020–2024 (+0.9 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Mount Airy?

A renting household in Mount Airy has 2.0 people on average, against 2.2 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Mount Airy?

The median renting household in Mount Airy, NC has an income of $26,667 (±$10,299) a year, against $53,450 for households that own their home.

Sources

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) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Mount Airy city, North Carolina (place:44800, in state:37).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

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.