Sterling, CO

Census Place

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2024 Population

13,172

US Senator

Michael Bennet

Democratic Party

US Senator

John Hickenlooper

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

37.7

0.789% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

19%

24.8% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$43,283

2.17% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$217,400

5.95% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

5,546

3.19% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Sterling, CO reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

97.1% of the residents in Sterling, CO are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Sterling, CO are Northeastern Junior College (520 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Sterling, CO was $217,400, and the homeownership rate was 55.9%.

Most people in Sterling, CO drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 14.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Sterling, CO was 2 cars per household.

United States Colorado Logan County, CO Sterling, CO Northeast Colorado PUMA, CO

Population & Diversity

Sterling, CO is home to a population of 13.2k people, from which 97.1% are citizens. As of 2024, 5.64% of Sterling, CO residents were born outside of the country (743 people).

In 2024, there were 8.46 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (9.25k people) in Sterling, CO than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.09k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 1.08k White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.1%

2024 Citizenship

97.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.1% of Sterling, CO residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Sterling, CO was 97.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Sterling, CO

White (Non-Hispanic)
9.25k ± 272
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
1.09k ± 284
White (Hispanic)
1.08k ± 417

21.2%

Hispanic Population

2.79k people

21.2% of the people in Sterling, CO are hispanic (2.79k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Sterling, CO 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 Colorado.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
203,143 ± 10,870 people
India
22,453 ± 3,672 people
China
17,281 ± 3,223 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Colorado was Mexico, the natal country of 203,143 Colorado residents, followed by India with 22,453 and China with 17,281.

Foreign-Born Population

5.64%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

743 people

5.18%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

687 people

As of 2024, 5.64% of Sterling, CO residents (743 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, CO was 5.18%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
188 ± 77
Gulf War (2001-)
162 ± 92
Gulf War (1990s)
90 ± 72

Sterling, CO has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.16 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Sterling, CO employs 5.55k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Sterling, CO were Retail Trade (950 people), Accommodation & Food Services (785 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (662 people), and the highest paying industries were Transportation & Warehousing ($76,420), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($75,227), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($61,000).

Employment

Occupations

5.55k

2024 Value

± 624

−3.19%

1 Year decline

± 16.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Sterling, CO declined at a rate of −3.19%, from 5.73k employees to 5.55k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Sterling, CO, are Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (646 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (504 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (363 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Sterling, CO.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Colorado (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

5.55k

2024 Value

± 624

−3.19%

1 Year decline

± 16.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Sterling, CO declined at a rate of −3.19%, from 5.73k employees to 5.55k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Sterling, CO, are Retail Trade (950 people), Accommodation & Food Services (785 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (662 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Sterling, CO, though some of these residents may live in Sterling, CO and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$34,632

Median earning men ± $5,881

$32,912

Median earning women ± $4,665

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($75,227), Public Administration ($57,929), and Manufacturing ($50,172).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($72,841), Public Administration ($59,073), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($40,517).

Employment by Industry Sector

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

Y-Axis

1.73%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 2.87M people employed in Colorado. This represents a 1.73% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 11.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Colorado.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Colorado went to Kamala Harris with 54.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (43.1%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.12%).

Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper are the senators currently representing the state of Colorado. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Colorado is currently represented by 8 members 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, CO. Showing the available data for Colorado.

2024 Election Results

Kamala Harris (54.1%)
Democratic Party
Donald J. Trump (43.1%)
Republican Party
Robert Kennedy (1.12%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Colorado went to Kamala Harris with 54.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (43.1%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.12%).

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

Senator Elections

US Senators from Colorado

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

Michael Bennet

Senator from Colorado

Assumed office on January 21, 2009
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Ken Salazar, who had become Secretary of the Interior.

John Hickenlooper

Senator from Colorado

Assumed office on January 3, 2021

Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper are the senators currently representing Colorado.

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 Colorado over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2023, universities in Sterling, CO awarded 520 degrees. The student population of Sterling, CO in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 546 male students and 956 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Sterling, CO are White (340 and 68.7%), Hispanic or Latino (97 and 19.6%), Two or More Races (26 and 5.25%), and Unknown (13 and 2.63%).

The largest universities in Sterling, CO by number of degrees awarded are Northeastern Junior College (520 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Sterling, CO are Liberal Arts & Sciences (80 and 15.4%), Other Liberal Arts & Sciences, General Studies, & Humanities (62 and 11.9%), and Welding Technology (60 and 11.5%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 1,502 students enrolled in Sterling, CO, 36.4% men and 63.6% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,097 records, of which 64.4% were women and 35.6% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
80 degrees awarded
Other Liberal Arts & Sciences, General Studies, & Humanities
62 degrees awarded
General Studies
35 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Sterling, CO was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 80 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Sterling, CO according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Northeastern Junior College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

520 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Northeastern Junior College with 520 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 262 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Sterling, CO, which is 1.02 times more than the 258 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 340 degrees mean that there were 3.51 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 97 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($4,926) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($656) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,460) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Sterling, CO was $217,400 in 2024, which is 0.653 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $205,200 to $217,400, a 5.95% increase. The homeownership rate in Sterling, CO is 55.9%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Sterling, CO have an average commute time of 14.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Sterling, CO is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$217,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$12,587

$2,805

Median Property Taxes

±$356

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, CO the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

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

Rent vs Own

55.9%

Homeownership

2024

63.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 55.9% of the housing units in Sterling, CO were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 59%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Sterling, CO 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.

$43,283

Median Household Income

± $3,767

5.02k

Number of Households

± 540

In 2024, the median household income of the 5.02k households in Sterling, CO declined from $43,283 from the previous year's value of $44,242.

The following chart displays the households in Sterling, CO 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 $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Sterling, CO is from Colorado.

0.462

2023 Wage GINI in Colorado

0.464

2022 Wage GINI in Colorado

In 2023, the income inequality in Colorado was 0.462 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.304% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Colorado was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Colorado in comparison to the national average.

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

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (74.6%)
Carpooled (9.3%)
Worked At Home (8.48%)

In 2024, 74.6% of workers in Sterling, CO drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.3%) and those who worked at home (8.48%).

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

14.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Sterling, CO have a shorter commute time (14.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.39% of the workforce in Sterling, CO have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Sterling, CO distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Sterling, CO have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

19% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Sterling, CO (2.09k out of 11k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Males 6 - 11 and then Females 55 - 64.

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

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
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

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

Health

93.2% of the population of Sterling, CO has health coverage, with 31.4% on employee plans, 34.8% on Medicaid, 14% on Medicare, 11.4% on non-group plans, and 1.6% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Colorado see 1,207 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,207 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1161 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 204 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51.2% were men and 48.8% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 19.5% under 18 years, 26.3% between 18 and 34 years, 34.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 20% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51.2% were men and 48.8% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

6.82%

Uninsured

31.4%

Employer Coverage

34.8%

Medicaid

14%

Medicare

11.4%

Non-Group

1.6%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Sterling, CO grew by 0.323% from 6.79% to 6.82%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Sterling, CO changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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