Sterling, IL

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2023 Population
55,192
0.678% 1-year decline
US Senator
Dick Durbin
Democratic Party
US Senator
Tammy Duckworth
Democratic Party
2023 Median Age
43.4
0.23% 1-year decrease
2023 Poverty Rate
12.1%
3.64% 1-year increase
2023 Median Household Income
$64,536
2.72% 1-year growth
2023 Median Property Value
$125,800
2.95% 1-year growth
2023 Employed Population
26,390
0.733% 1-year decline

About

In 2023, Sterling, IL had a population of 55.2k people with a median age of 43.4 and a median household income of $64,536. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Sterling, IL declined from 55,569 to 55,192, a −0.678% decrease and its median household income grew from $62,828 to $64,536, a 2.72% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Sterling, IL are White (Non-Hispanic) (82.1%), White (Hispanic) (5.72%), Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) (4.06%), Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) (2.09%), and Other (Hispanic) (2.03%).

None of the households in Sterling, IL 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.

98.6% of the residents in Sterling, IL are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Sterling, IL are Morrison Institute of Technology (29 degrees awarded in 2023) and Educators of Beauty College of Cosmetology-Sterling (12 degrees).

In 2023, the median property value in Sterling, IL was $125,800, and the homeownership rate was 75.5%.

Most people in Sterling, IL drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 19.9 minutes. The average car ownership in Sterling, IL was 2 cars per household.

United StatesIllinois

Population & Diversity

Sterling, IL is home to a population of 55.2k people, from which 98.6% are citizens. As of 2023, 2.77% of Sterling, IL residents were born outside of the country (1.53k people).

In 2023, there were 14.4 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (45.3k people) in Sterling, IL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 3.16k White (Hispanic) and 2.24k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.6%
2023 Citizenship
98.5%
2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 98.6% of Sterling, IL residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Sterling, IL was 98.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Sterling, IL
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    45.3k ± 228
  2. White (Hispanic)
    3.16k ± 455
  3. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    2.24k ± 478
13.1%
Hispanic Population
7.21k people

In 2023, there were 14.4 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (45.3k people) in Sterling, IL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 3.16k White (Hispanic) and 2.24k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

13.1% of the people in Sterling, IL are hispanic (7.21k people).

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

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for Illinois.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    633,244 ± 19,044 people
  2. India
    161,770 ± 9,812 people
  3. Poland
    119,556 ± 8,449 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Illinois was Mexico, the natal country of 633,244 Illinois residents, followed by India with 161,770 and Poland with 119,556.

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Foreign-Born Population

2.77%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
1.53k people
2.82%
2022 Foreign-Born Population
1.57k people

As of 2023, 2.77% of Sterling, IL residents (1.53k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Sterling, IL was 2.82%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    1,234 ± 203
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    531 ± 183
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    355 ± 120

Sterling, IL has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.32 times greater than any other conflict.

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Economy

The economy of Sterling, IL employs 26.4k people. In 2023, the largest industries in Sterling, IL were Manufacturing (5,113 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (4,387 people), and Retail Trade (3,179 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($115,938), Public Administration ($67,803), and Finance & Insurance ($61,782).

Employment

Occupations

26.4k
2023 Value
± 1,117
−0.733%
1 Year decline
± 5.97%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Sterling, IL declined at a rate of −0.733%, from 26.6k employees to 26.4k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Sterling, IL, are Production Occupations (3,422 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,676 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (2,256 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Sterling, IL.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Illinois (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.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

26.4k
2023 Value
± 1,117
−0.733%
1 Year decline
± 5.97%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Sterling, IL declined at a rate of −0.733%, from 26.6k employees to 26.4k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Sterling, IL, are Manufacturing (5,113 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (4,387 people), and Retail Trade (3,179 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Sterling, IL, though some of these residents may live in Sterling, IL and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$50,611
Median earning men ± $2,556
$34,363
Median earning women ± $2,173

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($71,250), Public Administration ($70,972), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($62,261).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Public Administration ($57,500), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($51,161), and Construction ($49,205).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Illinois.
Y-Axis
2.47%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 6.03M people employed in Illinois. This represents a 2.47% 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 13%.

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

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Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments
  1. 94
    Other Services (except Public Administration)
  2. 81
    Construction
  3. 60
    Finance and Insurance

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.

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Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll
  1. $242k
    Manufacturing
  2. $139k
    Health Care and Social Assistance
  3. $82.3k
    Transportation and Warehousing

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

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Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Illinois went to Kamala Harris with 54.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (43.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.43%).

Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth are the senators currently representing the state of Illinois. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Illinois is currently represented by 17 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Voting results are not available for Sterling, IL. Showing the available data for Illinois.
2024 Election Results
  1. Kamala Harris (54.4%)
    Democratic Party
  2. Donald J. Trump (43.5%)
    Republican Party
  3. Robert Kennedy (1.43%)
    Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Illinois went to Kamala Harris with 54.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (43.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.43%).

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

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Illinois

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Illinois.
Dick Durbin
Senator from Illinois2
Assumed office on January 3, 1997
Tammy Duckworth
Senator from Illinois3
Assumed office on January 3, 2017

Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth are the senators currently representing Illinois.

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

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US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Illinois

Illinois is currently represented by 17 members in the U.S. house.

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

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Education

In 2023, universities in Sterling, IL awarded 41 degrees. The student population of Sterling, IL in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 51 male students and 60 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Sterling, IL are White (32 and 78%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (7 and 17.1%), Unknown (1 and 2.44%), and Black or African American (1 and 2.44%).

The largest universities in Sterling, IL by number of degrees awarded are Morrison Institute of Technology (29 and 70.7%) and Educators of Beauty College of Cosmetology-Sterling (12 and 29.3%).

The most popular majors in Sterling, IL are General Engineering Technology (18 and 43.9%), General Cosmetology (12 and 29.3%), and System, Networking, & LAN/WAN Management (11 and 26.8%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 111 students enrolled in Sterling, IL, 45.9% men and 54.1% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 89 records, of which 53.9% were women and 46.1% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. System, Networking, & LAN/WAN Management
    11 degrees awarded
  2. General Engineering Technology
    18 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Sterling, IL was System, Networking, & LAN/WAN Management with 11 degrees awarded.

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

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Universities

Gender
Race
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
  1. Morrison Institute of Technology
    29 degrees awarded
  2. Educators of Beauty College of Cosmetology-Sterling
    12 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Morrison Institute of Technology with 29 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

In 2023, 26 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Sterling, IL, which is 1.73 times more than the 15 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 32 degrees mean that there were 4.57 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 7 degrees awarded.

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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.

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Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Private not-for-profit, 2-year ($18,000) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 2-year ($1,900) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 2-year ($1,000) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

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Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

In 2023, 1.23% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 1.11% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

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Educational Attainment

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

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2023 were High School or Equivalent (2.6M), Bachelors Degree (2.12M), and Some college (2.1M).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Sterling, IL was $125,800 in 2023, which is 0.415 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $122,200 to $125,800, a 2.95% increase. The homeownership rate in Sterling, IL is 75.5%, which is higher than the national average of 65%.

People in Sterling, IL have an average commute time of 19.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Sterling, IL is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$125,800
Median Property Value 2023
±$5,062
$17,519
Median Property Taxes
±$774

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

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

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Rent vs Own

75.5%
Homeownership
2023
59.7%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2023

In 2023, 75.5% of the housing units in Sterling, IL were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 74.4%.

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

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$64,536
Median Household Income
± $4,377
23.2k
Number of Households
± 993

In 2023, the median household income of the 23.2k households in Sterling, IL grew to $64,536 from the previous year's value of $62,828.

The following chart displays the households in Sterling, IL 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.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Sterling, IL is from Illinois.
0.474
2023 Wage GINI in Illinois
0.477
2022 Wage GINI in Illinois

In 2023, the income inequality in Illinois was 0.474 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.554% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Illinois was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Illinois in comparison to the national average.

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

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023
  1. Drove Alone (80.6%)
  2. Carpooled (9.66%)
  3. Worked At Home (4.93%)

In 2023, 80.6% of workers in Sterling, IL drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.66%) and those who worked at home (4.93%).

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.

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Commute Time

19.9 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Sterling, IL have a shorter commute time (19.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 2.69% of the workforce in Sterling, IL have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

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

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

12.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Sterling, IL (6.51k out of 53.9k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Males 6 - 11.

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

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Health

94.5% of the population of Sterling, IL has health coverage, with 49.1% on employee plans, 15.4% on Medicaid, 17.5% on Medicare, 10.9% on non-group plans, and 1.52% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Illinois see 1,264 patients per year on average, which represents a 2.6% increase from the previous year (1,232 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1189 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 318 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.2% were men and 49.8% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Illinois.
1,264 to 1
Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Illinois

Primary care physicians in Illinois see an average of 1,264 patients per year. This represents a 2.6% increase from the previous year (1,232 patients).

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

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Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 23.6% under 18 years, 17.2% between 18 and 34 years, 38% between 35 and 64 years, and 21.2% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.2% were men and 49.8% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

5.52%
Uninsured
49.1%
Employer Coverage
15.4%
Medicaid
17.5%
Medicare
10.9%
Non-Group
1.52%
Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Sterling, IL grew by 0.214% from 5.51% to 5.52%.

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

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