Sterling County, TX

County

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2024 Population

1,468

US Senator

John Cornyn

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Cruz

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

32.1

2.23% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

4.32%

58.3% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$64,954

17.5% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$147,000

2.65% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

548

0.183% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Sterling County, TX 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.

93.5% of the residents in Sterling County, TX are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Sterling County, TX was $147,000, and the homeownership rate was 77.7%.

Most people in Sterling County, TX drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 24.4 minutes. The average car ownership in Sterling County, TX was 2 cars per household.

Sterling County, TX borders Coke County, TX, Glasscock County, TX, Howard County, TX, Mitchell County, TX, Reagan County, TX, and Tom Green County, TX.

United States Texas

Population & Diversity

Sterling County, TX is home to a population of 1.47k people, from which 93.5% are citizens. As of 2024, 11.9% of Sterling County, TX residents were born outside of the country (174 people).

In 2024, there were 3.2 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (922 people) in Sterling County, TX than any other race or ethnicity. There were 288 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 142 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

93.5%

2024 Citizenship

92.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 93.5% of Sterling County, TX residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Sterling County, TX was 92.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Sterling County, TX

White (Non-Hispanic)
922 ± 214
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
288 ± 170
White (Hispanic)
142 ± 81

35.7%

Hispanic Population

524 people

35.7% of the people in Sterling County, TX are hispanic (524 people).

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

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Mexico
2,397,739 ± 36,447 people
India
325,248 ± 13,925 people
El Salvador
221,729 ± 11,517 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Texas was Mexico, the natal country of 2,397,739 Texas residents, followed by India with 325,248 and El Salvador with 221,729.

Foreign-Born Population

11.9%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

174 people

9.5%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

132 people

As of 2024, 11.9% of Sterling County, TX residents (174 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 County, TX was 9.5%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
10 ± 23
Gulf War (2001-)
6 ± 17

Sterling County, TX has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.67 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Sterling County, TX employs 548 people. In 2024, the largest industries in Sterling County, TX were Public Administration (82 people), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction (81 people), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (68 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($113,456), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($111,250), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($102,574).

Employment

Occupations

548

2024 Value

± 138

0.183%

1 Year growth

± 35.2%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Sterling County, TX grew at a rate of 0.183%, from 547 employees to 548 employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Sterling County, TX, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (108 people), Management Occupations (90 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (56 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Sterling County, TX.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Texas (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

548

2024 Value

± 138

0.183%

1 Year growth

± 35.2%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Sterling County, TX grew at a rate of 0.183%, from 547 employees to 548 employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Sterling County, TX, are Public Administration (82 people), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction (81 people), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (68 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Sterling County, TX, though some of these residents may live in Sterling County, TX and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$63,681

Median earning men ± $18,168

$26,156

Median earning women ± $6,395

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($103,971), Retail Trade ($51,250), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($44,444).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($58,500), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($38,750), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($31,375).

Employment by Industry Sector

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

Y-Axis

4.59%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 13.8M people employed in Texas. This represents a 4.59% 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 9.63%.

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

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

4
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
3
Other Services (except Public Administration)
3
Accommodation and Food Services

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$4.93k
Utilities
$3.75k
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction
$2.8k
Transportation and Warehousing

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Texas went to Donald J. Trump with 56.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (42.5%), followed by Jill Stein (0.726%).

John Cornyn and Ted Cruz are the senators currently representing the state of Texas. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Texas is currently represented by 38 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 County, TX. Showing the available data for Texas.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (56.1%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (42.5%)
Democratic Party
Jill Stein (0.726%)
Green Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Texas went to Donald J. Trump with 56.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (42.5%), followed by Jill Stein (0.726%).

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

Senator Elections

US Senators from Texas

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

John Cornyn

Senator from Texas

Assumed office on December 2, 2002
Phil Gramm resigned (effective November 30, 2002) a few weeks before the expiration of his term in hopes that his successor, fellow Republican John Cornyn, could gain seniority over other newly elected senators. However, Cornyn did not gain additional seniority due to a 1980 Rules Committee policy.

Ted Cruz

Senator from Texas

Assumed office on January 3, 2013

John Cornyn and Ted Cruz are the senators currently representing Texas.

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Sterling County, TX was $147,000 in 2024, which is 0.442 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $143,200 to $147,000, a 2.65% increase. The homeownership rate in Sterling County, TX is 77.7%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Sterling County, TX have an average commute time of 24.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Sterling County, TX is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 8.61% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Sterling County, TX. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 5.99%.

Housing

Property

$147,000

Median Property Value 2024

±$100,552

$310

Median Property Taxes

±$76

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 County, TX the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

77.7%

Homeownership

2024

60.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 77.7% of the housing units in Sterling County, TX were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 83.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Sterling County, TX 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.

$64,954

Median Household Income

± $18,855

399

Number of Households

± 90

In 2024, the median household income of the 399 households in Sterling County, TX declined from $64,954 from the previous year's value of $78,750.

The following chart displays the households in Sterling County, TX 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 $50k - $60k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Sterling County, TX is from Texas.

0.475

2023 Wage GINI in Texas

0.476

2022 Wage GINI in Texas

In 2023, the income inequality in Texas was 0.475 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.208% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Texas was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Texas in comparison to the national average.

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

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (80.1%)
Carpooled (11.7%)
Worked At Home (7.12%)

In 2024, 80.1% of workers in Sterling County, TX drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11.7%) and those who worked at home (7.12%).

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

24.4 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Sterling County, TX have a shorter commute time (24.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.54% of the workforce in Sterling County, TX have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 8.61% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Sterling County, TX. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 5.99%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

4.32% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Sterling County, TX (62 out of 1.43k 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 Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Males 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Sterling County, TX 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.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 14.6% of the children was living in poverty in Sterling County, TX. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4.1%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children 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.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 113 in Sterling County, TX. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 0.932 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

73.6% of the population of Sterling County, TX has health coverage, with 42.5% on employee plans, 11.4% on Medicaid, 9.83% on Medicare, 9.34% on non-group plans, and 0.488% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Sterling County, TX see 0 patients per year on average, which represents a NaNN% change from the previous year (0 patients). Compare this to dentists who see null patients per year, and mental health providers who see null patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49% were men and 51% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

0 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Sterling County, TX

Primary care physicians in Sterling County, TX see an average of 0 patients per year. This represents a NaNN% change from the previous year (0 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Sterling County, TX in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 39.9% under 18 years, 17.5% between 18 and 34 years, 28.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 13.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49% were men and 51% were women.

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

Uninsured People

26.4%

Uninsured

42.5%

Employer Coverage

11.4%

Medicaid

9.83%

Medicare

9.34%

Non-Group

0.488%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Sterling County, TX grew by 2.61% from 25.8% to 26.4%.

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