Sterling, KS

Census Place

2024 Population

2,411

US Senator

Jerry Moran

Republican Party

US Senator

Roger Marshall

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

29.4

6.14% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

5.72%

15.9% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$54,922

7.05% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

Population & Diversity

Sterling, KS is home to a population of 2.41k people, from which 98.3% are citizens.

As of 2024, 2.61% of Sterling, KS residents were born outside of the country (63 people).

In 2024, there were 24 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (2.06k people) in Sterling, KS than any other race or ethnicity. There were 86 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 86 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.3%

2024 Citizenship

98.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.3% of Sterling, KS residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Sterling, KS was 98.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Sterling, KS

White (Non-Hispanic)
2.06k ± 217
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
86 ± 48
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
86 ± 95

7.26%

Hispanic Population

175 people

7.26% of the people in Sterling, KS are hispanic (175 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Sterling, KS 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 Kansas.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
84,373 ± 7,029 people
India
14,412 ± 2,940 people
Vietnam
10,201 ± 2,475 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Kansas was Mexico, the natal country of 84,373 Kansas residents, followed by India with 14,412 and Vietnam with 10,201.

Foreign-Born Population

2.61%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

63 people

2.55%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

61 people

As of 2024, 2.61% of Sterling, KS residents (63 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, KS was 2.55%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
33 ± 27
Vietnam
25 ± 27
Gulf War (1990s)
20 ± 26

Sterling, KS has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.32 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Sterling, KS employs 1.16k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Sterling, KS were Educational Services (265 people), Manufacturing (179 people), and Retail Trade (104 people), and the highest paying industries were Wholesale Trade ($74,545), Health Care & Social Assistance ($65,150), and Utilities ($57,083).

Employment

Occupations

1.16k

2024 Value

± 179

1.31%

1 Year growth

± 21.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Sterling, KS grew at a rate of 1.31%, from 1.15k employees to 1.16k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Sterling, KS, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (177 people), Management Occupations (152 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (141 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Sterling, KS.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Kansas (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

1.16k

2024 Value

± 179

1.31%

1 Year growth

± 21.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Sterling, KS grew at a rate of 1.31%, from 1.15k employees to 1.16k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Sterling, KS, are Educational Services (265 people), Manufacturing (179 people), and Retail Trade (104 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Sterling, KS, though some of these residents may live in Sterling, KS and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$40,625

Median earning men ± $11,678

$28,389

Median earning women ± $5,663

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Manufacturing ($54,449), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($50,625), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($46,597).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($60,625), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($41,806), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($32,188).

Education

The student population of Sterling, KS in 2024 is skewed towards men, with 390 male students and 304 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Sterling, KS are White (86 and 69.4%), Hispanic or Latino (19 and 15.3%), Black or African American (8 and 6.45%), and Two or More Races (7 and 5.65%).

The largest universities in Sterling, KS by number of degrees awarded are Sterling College (130 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Sterling, KS are Athletic Trainer (11 and 8.46%), Sport & Fitness Management (10 and 7.69%), and Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement Administration (10 and 7.69%).

The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $31,500.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Sterling, KS, the percentage of applicants admitted was 48.2%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 30.4%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 694 (56.2% men and 43.8% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 694 students enrolled in Sterling, KS, 56.2% men and 43.8% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 385 records, of which 54.5% were women and 45.5% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement Administration
10 degrees awarded
Sport & Fitness Management
10 degrees awarded
Other Business, Management, Marketing, & Related Support Services
9 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Sterling, KS was Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement Administration with 10 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Sterling College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

130 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Sterling College with 130 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 71 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Sterling, KS, which is 1.2 times more than the 59 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 86 degrees mean that there were 4.53 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 19 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

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($31,500) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($2,200) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,240) 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, KS was $133,000 in 2024, which is 0.4 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $130,200 to $133,000, a 2.15% increase. The homeownership rate in Sterling, KS is 75.6%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Sterling, KS have an average commute time of 20.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Sterling, KS is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$133,000

Median Property Value 2024

±$30,593

$631

Median Property Taxes

±$114

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

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

Rent vs Own

75.6%

Homeownership

2024

66.9%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 75.6% of the housing units in Sterling, KS were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 75.3%.

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

$54,922

Median Household Income

± $4,210

835

Number of Households

± 142

In 2024, the median household income of the 835 households in Sterling, KS grew to $54,922 from the previous year's value of $51,304.

The following chart displays the households in Sterling, KS 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, KS is from Kansas.

0.459

2024 Wage GINI in Kansas

0.458

2023 Wage GINI in Kansas

In 2024, the income inequality in Kansas was 0.459 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.185% growth from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Kansas was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Kansas in comparison to the national average.

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

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (71.4%)
Walked (12.1%)
Worked At Home (7.87%)

In 2024, 71.4% of workers in Sterling, KS drove alone to work, followed by those who walked to work (12.1%) and those who worked at home (7.87%).

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

20.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Sterling, KS have a shorter commute time (20.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 7.39% of the workforce in Sterling, KS have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

5.72% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Sterling, KS (110 out of 1.92k 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 55 - 64, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Males 35 - 44.

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

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.

Keep Exploring