Sterling, KS

Census Place

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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
$133,000
2.15% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
1,162
1.31% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Sterling, KS 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.

98.3% of the residents in Sterling, KS are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Sterling, KS are Sterling College (105 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Sterling, KS was $133,000, and the homeownership rate was 75.6%.

Most people in Sterling, KS drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 20.9 minutes. The average car ownership in Sterling, KS was 2 cars per household.

United StatesKansasRice County, KSCentral Kansas--Hutchinson City PUMA, KS

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.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Sterling, KS
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    2.06k ± 217
  2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    86 ± 48
  3. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    86 ± 95
7.26%
Hispanic Population
175 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.

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.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Kansas.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    83,075 ± 6,976 people
  2. India
    12,929 ± 2,785 people
  3. Vietnam
    10,325 ± 2,490 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Kansas was Mexico, the natal country of 83,075 Kansas residents, followed by India with 12,929 and Vietnam with 10,325.

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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.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Gulf War (2001-)
    33 ± 27
  2. Vietnam
    25 ± 27
  3. 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Kansas.
Y-Axis
3.11%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.44M people employed in Kansas. This represents a 3.11% 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 10.9%.

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

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Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Kansas went to Donald J. Trump with 57.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (41%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.23%).

Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall are the senators currently representing the state of Kansas. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Kansas is currently represented by 4 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, KS. Showing the available data for Kansas.
2024 Election Results
  1. Donald J. Trump (57.2%)
    Republican Party
  2. Kamala Harris (41%)
    Democratic Party
  3. Robert Kennedy (1.23%)
    Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Kansas went to Donald J. Trump with 57.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (41%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.23%).

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

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Kansas

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Kansas.
Jerry Moran
Senator from Kansas3
Assumed office on January 3, 2011
Roger Marshall
Senator from Kansas2
Assumed office on January 3, 2021

Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall are the senators currently representing Kansas.

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

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Education

In 2023, universities in Sterling, KS awarded 105 degrees. The student population of Sterling, KS in 2023 is skewed towards men, with 412 male students and 295 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Sterling, KS are White (57 and 59.4%), Hispanic or Latino (14 and 14.6%), Black or African American (13 and 13.5%), and Two or More Races (8 and 8.33%).

The largest universities in Sterling, KS by number of degrees awarded are Sterling College (105 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Sterling, KS are Sport & Fitness Management (13 and 12.4%), Athletic Trainer (12 and 11.4%), and Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement Administration (8 and 7.62%).

The median tuition cost in Sterling, KS for private four year colleges is $30,000.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University
Measure

In 2023 in Sterling, KS, the percentage of applicants admitted was 53%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 32.4%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 707 (58.3% men and 41.7% 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.

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Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 707 students enrolled in Sterling, KS, 58.3% men and 41.7% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 471 records, of which 50.1% were women and 49.9% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement Administration
    8 degrees awarded
  2. Management Science
    8 degrees awarded
  3. Sport & Fitness Management
    13 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Sterling, KS was Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement Administration with 8 degrees awarded.

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

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Universities

Gender
Race
Sterling College
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
105 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Sterling College with 105 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 56 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Sterling, KS, which is 1.14 times more than the 49 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 57 degrees mean that there were 4.07 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 14 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

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($30,000) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($2,200) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.
$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 $75k - $100k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Sterling, KS is from Kansas.
0.458
2023 Wage GINI in Kansas
0.462
2022 Wage GINI in Kansas

In 2023, the income inequality in Kansas was 0.458 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.893% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Kansas was lower than than the national average of 0.476. 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.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (71.4%)
  2. Walked (12.1%)
  3. 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Health

94.5% of the population of Sterling, KS has health coverage, with 48.6% on employee plans, 15.4% on Medicaid, 11.9% on Medicare, 17.6% on non-group plans, and 1.01% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Kansas see 1,285 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,285 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1583 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 395 patients per year.

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

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 28.2% under 18 years, 29.3% between 18 and 34 years, 26.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 16% over 64 years.

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

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

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Uninsured People

5.47%
Uninsured
48.6%
Employer Coverage
15.4%
Medicaid
11.9%
Medicare
17.6%
Non-Group
1.01%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Sterling, KS grew by 1.59% from 5.39% to 5.47%.

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

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