Sterling, AK

Census Place

2024 Population

6,323

US Senator

Lisa Murkowski

Republican Party

US Senator

Dan Sullivan

Republican Party

US Representative

Nick Begich III

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

46.8

3.77% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

Population & Diversity

Sterling, AK is home to a population of 6.32k people, from which 98.8% are citizens.

As of 2024, 3.4% of Sterling, AK residents were born outside of the country (215 people).

In 2024, there were 27 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (5.72k people) in Sterling, AK than any other race or ethnicity. There were 212 American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) and 162 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.8%

2024 Citizenship

97.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.8% of Sterling, AK residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Sterling, AK was 97.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Sterling, AK compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Sterling, AK

White (Non-Hispanic)
5.72k ± 653
American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
212 ± 97
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
162 ± 102

2.96%

Hispanic Population

187 people

2.96% of the people in Sterling, AK are hispanic (187 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Sterling, AK as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Alaska.

Most Common Origin

Philippines
20,816 ± 3,492 people
Korea
3,557 ± 1,461 people
Mexico
3,217 ± 1,389 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Alaska was Philippines, the natal country of 20,816 Alaska residents, followed by Korea with 3,557 and Mexico with 3,217.

Foreign-Born Population

3.4%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

215 people

3.84%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

260 people

As of 2024, 3.4% of Sterling, AK residents (215 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Sterling, AK was 3.84%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Sterling, AK compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
405 ± 155
Gulf War (2001-)
155 ± 132

Sterling, AK has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.61 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Sterling, AK.

Economy

The economy of Sterling, AK employs 2.63k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Sterling, AK were Construction (381 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (365 people), and Educational Services (323 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($122,000), Public Administration ($119,830), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($117,750).

Employment

Occupations

2.63k

2024 Value

± 432

−5.33%

1 Year decline

± 23.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Sterling, AK declined at a rate of −5.33%, from 2.78k employees to 2.63k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Sterling, AK, are Management Occupations (494 people), Construction & Extraction Occupations (393 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (241 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Sterling, AK.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Alaska.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Alaska (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

2.63k

2024 Value

± 432

−5.33%

1 Year decline

± 23.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Sterling, AK declined at a rate of −5.33%, from 2.78k employees to 2.63k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Sterling, AK, are Construction (381 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (365 people), and Educational Services (323 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Sterling, AK, though some of these residents may live in Sterling, AK and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$85,500

Median earning men ± $14,766

$52,015

Median earning women ± $9,708

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($250,001), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($121,400), and Public Administration ($119,830).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($70,950), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($67,933), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($57,686).

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Alaska went to Donald J. Trump with 54.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (41.4%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.68%).

Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan are the senators currently representing the state of Alaska. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Sterling, AK is currently represented by Nick Begich III in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Sterling, AK. Showing the available data for Alaska.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (54.5%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (41.4%)
Democratic Party
Robert Kennedy (1.68%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Alaska went to Donald J. Trump with 54.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (41.4%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.68%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Alaska for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Alaska

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Alaska.

Lisa Murkowski

Senator from Alaska

Assumed office on December 20, 2002
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of her father Frank Murkowski, who was elected Governor of Alaska.

Dan Sullivan

Senator from Alaska

Assumed office on January 3, 2015

Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan are the senators currently representing Alaska.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Alaska over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Sterling, AK

Nick Begich III

District at-large Representative

Republican Party

Sterling, AK is currently represented by Nick Begich III (Republican Party).

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the member for Sterling, AK have changed over time starting in 2008.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Sterling, AK was $353,400 in 2024, which is 1.06 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $346,100 to $353,400, a 2.11% increase. The homeownership rate in Sterling, AK is 86.6%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Sterling, AK have an average commute time of 30.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Sterling, AK is higher than the national average, with an average of 3 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$353,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$39,407

$2,354

Median Property Taxes

±$387

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Sterling, AK the largest share of households pay taxes in the $2k - $3k range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Sterling, AK compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

86.6%

Homeownership

2024

67.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 86.6% of the housing units in Sterling, AK were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 86%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Sterling, AK compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$102,415

Median Household Income

± $26,142

2.72k

Number of Households

± 428

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.72k households in Sterling, AK declined from $102,415 from the previous year's value of $110,341.

The following chart displays the households in Sterling, AK distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Sterling, AK is from Alaska.

0.437

2024 Wage GINI in Alaska

0.432

2023 Wage GINI in Alaska

In 2024, the income inequality in Alaska was 0.437 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 1.31% growth from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Alaska was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Alaska in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Alaska across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (61.7%)
Carpooled (15%)
Worked At Home (14.6%)

In 2024, 61.7% of workers in Sterling, AK drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (15%) and those who worked at home (14.6%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

30.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Sterling, AK have a longer commute time (30.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 8.09% of the workforce in Sterling, AK have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Sterling, AK compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

3 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Sterling, AK distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Sterling, AK have 3 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

4.55% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Sterling, AK (287 out of 6.31k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 65 - 74, followed by Males 6 - 11 and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Sterling, AK is White, followed by Two Or More and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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