Jobs in Toast fell by 99 from 2013 to 2023, to 155. Toast: 14% of residents live below the poverty line, above both North Carolina’s towns (13%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Also worth knowing: the share of working residents in Toast who work locally: 0.7%. The top destinations are Mount Airy (28%), Winston-Salem (10%) and Dobson (6%).

1%work in town

	Toast	North Carolina towns	U.S. towns
Median household income	$35,000	$69,000	$80,000
Average trip to work	19 minutes	24 minutes	25 minutes
Working residents who work in town	0.7%	6.8%	8%
Below the poverty line	14%	13%	9.6%

Where working residents work

In Toast1%

Mount Airy28%

Winston-Salem10%

Dobson6%

Charlotte4%

13 mi

median commute distance

155

jobs based in Toast

A commuter town

jobs vs. working residents

Full pageToast’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here155 jobs based here · A commuter town Where people work1% work in Toast Commute times19 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 13 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

Four seasons and pleasant summers: that is Toast’s year

The town’s typical July afternoon high stands at 87°F, against 89°F in North Carolina’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns.

8″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter29–50°

Spring44–69°

Summer63–86°

Fall46–70°

Oct 23

typical first frost

Apr 19

typical last frost

+1.5°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageToast’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 87°, January lows 27°Rain & snow8″ of snow a winter · 52 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+1.5° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

A larger share of adults in Toast report frequent physical distress than in the typical North Carolina or U.S. town

Toast: 17% of adults have diabetes, and on top of that among 290 North Carolina towns, just 4 have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Toast. In Toast, 30% of adults say their health is fair or poor, and 22% smoke cigarettes. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Toast is ahead of North Carolina on 1 and behind on 23.

	Toast	North Carolina towns	U.S. towns
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)	19%	13%	14%
Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES)	30%	19%	19%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)	22%	14%	14%
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)	17%	13%	12%

32 measures vs. North Carolina

1 better8 too close to call23 worse

What stands out	Toast	NC
More adults treating high blood pressure	79.6%	76.7%
More adults with COPD	13.8%	7.1%

Northern Regional Hospital

1.4 mi away · emergency room

3 of 3

care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

Full pageToast’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore smokers Hospitals & doctors nearby1.4 miles to an ER · Northern Regional Hospital How adults are doingMore adults in fair or poor health Every CDC estimateBetter than NC on 1 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Natural hazards

Moderate risk in Toast, with inland flooding at the top

FEMA expects less storm and flood damage in Toast than in 56% of U.S. communities. Flood insurance has paid out on 24 claims here since 1980. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 62% come from inland flooding and 20% from cold waves.

44risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes

paid flood claims since 1980

Full pageToast’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesModerate risk Flood claims24 paid flood claims · Since 1980 Past disasters17 disaster declarations · Declared for the county Get ready2 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Housing

Homes in Toast sell for about $234K

Toast’s midpoint rent stands at $847 a month. 66% of households live in a home they own here.

$234Kmedian sale price

	Toast	North Carolina towns	U.S. towns
Median rent	$847 a month	$1,085 a month	$1,185 a month
Households that own their home	66%	67%	73%

homes sold in April

Full pageToast’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsPrices over the years Years of income to buyA typical home costs 6.7 years of income Rents$847 a month · Median rent Vs. the neighbors1 bordering town

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Nearby attractions

Blue Ridge Parkway and 10 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Toast. Close and well known come first.

All 29 attractions →

10 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year

14 mi MountainPilot Mountain

33 mi Stadium & arenaAllegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium

36 mi MuseumOld Salem

22 mi State parkHanging Rock State Park

32 mi MuseumReynolda House Museum of American Art

Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons

Photo credits

Blue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Pilot Mountain: Berean Hunter, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium: BobHWS, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Old Salem: David Bjorgen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hanging Rock State Park: Jacalyn Engler from Greensboro, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Reynolda House Museum of American Art: Zsrarticle, CC BY-SA 4.0

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Toast

16pages on Toast

The big questions

Schools1 school HealthBetter than NC on 1 of 32 CDC measures Cost of livingWork & commute$35K median household income · 155 jobs here Natural hazardsFEMA risk higher than 44% of U.S. communities · inland flooding

Out and about

PlacesAttractions29 nearby · Blue Ridge Parkway 10 mi LibraryMount Airy Public Library CollegesSurry Community College is 9 mi away

The story

HistoryClimate87° summer highs · 8″ of snow

Day to day

NewsWeatherHandbookZIP code 27049 Town SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

1 within 15 miles of the center of Toast

Surry Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Dobson9 mi$2,668 in-state tuition

About 0 of every 100 Toast residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

A commuter town

99% of working residents leave Toast for work

Where Toast’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

155jobs based in Toast

1%of working residents work in town

13 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Toast

Census-designated place in North Carolina, United States

Toast is a census-designated place (CDP) in Surry County, North Carolina, United States, just west of Mount Airy. As of the 2020 census, Toast had a population of 1,423. A post office called Toast has been in operation since 1929. The name "Toast" was supplied by the Post Office Department. E. P. McLeod, the school principal, supposedly came up with the name while buying groceries at Hutchens Store one evening in 1927.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area: 1.5 sq mi
Elevation: 1,063 ft
ZIP code: 27049

Questions about Toast

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Toast, NC a good place to live?

Toast has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

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Is Toast a good place to live?

893 people, and everyone knows the way

Toast in pictures

Moving to Toast: who provides what

The data

The schools Toast’s kids attend

The median household income in Toast is lower than in most of North Carolina or the rest of the country