Surry Drops to Tier 1

The North Carolina Department of Commerce annually ranks the state’s 100 counties based on economics and assigns each a Tier designation. This Tier system is incorporated into various state programs in the less prosperous areas of the state.  The 40 most distressed counties are designated as Tier 1, the next 40 as Tier 2 and the 20 least distressed as Tier 3. Wilkes County and our other neighboring counties remain at Tier 2.  In the latest calculations, neighboring Surry County dropped to the bottom third in economic strength or Tier 1. However, it means that Surry also is more apt to get state and federal funding, including school expenses.