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Sterling, Illinois Population 2021

16,699

Sterling is a city located in Whiteside County Illinois. Sterling has a 2020 population of 16,699. Sterling is currently declining at a rate of -0.75% annually and its population has decreased by -7.39% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 18,031 in 2010. Sterling reached it's highest population of 18,031 in 2010.

The average household income in Sterling is $68,067 with a poverty rate of 12.75%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $678 per month, and the median house value is $94,000. The median age in Sterling is 41.8 years, 40.8 years for males, and 43.3 years for females.

Sterling Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Sterling was:

White: 88.77%
Two or more races: 4.45%
Black or African American: 3.01%
Other race: 2.07%
Asian: 1.59%
Native American: 0.06%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.05%

The current population of Sterling, Illinois is 16,699 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates. The US Census estimates the 2018 population at 17,080.The last official US Census in 2010 recorded the population at 18,031.

Sterling, Illinois Population 2021

Population by Race

Race	Population	Percentage
White	15,302	88.77%
Two or More Races	767	4.45%
Black or African American	518	3.01%
Some Other Race	356	2.07%
Asian	274	1.59%
American Indian and Alaska Native	11	0.06%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	9	0.05%

Sterling Population by Race

Sterling Population Pyramid $2021

Sterling Population by Age

Sterling Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Sterling Household Types

Type	Owner	Renter
Married	86%	14%
Male	69.6%	30.4%
All	64.6%	35.4%
Female	49.5%	50.5%
Non Family	46.1%	53.9%

64.6%

Rate of Home Ownership

Sterling Households and Families

Type	Count	Average Size	Owned
All	7,174	2.33	64.6
Married	3,098	3.04	86
Non Family	2,814	1.21	46.1
Female	1,012	3.21	49.5
Male	250	2.63	69.6

2.96

Average Family Size

2.33

Average Household Size

Sterling Households by Type

Education Attained	Count	Percentage
Less Than 9th Grade	554	4.68%
9th to 12th Grade	834	7.04%
High School Graduate	3,921	33.12%
Some College	3,216	27.16%
Associates Degree	1,139	9.62%
Bachelors Degree	1,274	10.76%
Graduate Degree	901	7.61%

Sterling Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Sterling Educational Attainment by Race

Race	Total	High School	Bachelors
White	8,898	8,119	1,861
Hispanic	2,299	1,822	203
Black	410	308	17
Other Race	260	202	7
2+ Races	237	170	22
Asian	201	169	87
Native American	11	11
Islander	9	9

The highest rate of high school graduation is among native american people with a rate of 100.00%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 43.28%.

Sterling Educational Attainment by Race

Name	Average	Male	Female
Overall	$33,848	$40,336	$27,389
Less Than 9th Grade	$25,104	$39,115	$16,164
High School Graduate	$30,827	$37,305	$21,394
Some College	$30,667	$36,343	$27,226
Bachelors Degree	$45,682	$60,789	$38,514
Graduate Degree	$61,750	$75,192	$54,955

$33,848

Average Earnings

$40,336

Average Male

$27,389

Average Female

Sterling Earnings by Educational Attainment

Sterling Language by Age

Sterling Language

86.36% of Sterling residents speak only English, while 13.64% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 10.77% of the population.

Sterling Language

Sterling Poverty by Race

Name	Total	In Poverty	Poverty Rate
White	11,443	1,418	12.39%
Hispanic	4,285	501	11.69%
Multiple	767	211	27.51%
Black	487	88	18.07%
Asian	274	10	3.65%
Other	356	5	1.40%

12.75%

Overall Poverty Rate

13.00%

Male Poverty Rate

12.52%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Sterling

The race most likely to be in poverty in Sterling is Multiple, with 27.51% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Sterling is Other, with 1.40% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 3.81%. Among those working part-time, it was 11.19%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 18.44%.

Sterling Poverty

Name	Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade	21.39%
Some College	10.04%
High School	8.78%
Bachelors or Greater	5.11%

Sterling Poverty Rate by Education

Rate	Poverty
Male Unemployed	67.67%
Female Unemployed	26.56%
Female Employed	6.99%
Male Employed	6.19%

Sterling Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Sterling Income by Household Type

Name	Median	Mean
Households	$46,835	$68,067
Families	$63,765	$85,905
Married Families	$77,619	-
Non Families	$28,363	$37,401

Income by Household Type

Sterling Marital Status

Marriage Rates

46.8%

Overall Marriage Rate

48.1%

Male Marriage Rate

45.5%

Female Marriage Rate

Sterling Married by Age and Sex

Sterling Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is 55-64, while the female age group most likely to be married is 55-64.

Sterling Marital Status by Race

Sterling Marital Status

1,154

Number of Veterans

1,100

Male Veterans

Female Veterans

War	Veterans
Vietnam	305
First Gulf War	235
Korea	189
Second Gulf War	134
World War II	94

Sterling Veterans by War

Age Group	Veterans
75+	369
35 to 54	327
65 to 74	211
55 to 64	208
18 to 34	39

Sterling Veterans by Age

Name	Veterans	% of Total
White	1,079	9.02%
Hispanic	197	6.95%
Black	39	8.44%
2+ Races	31	8.81%
Asian	5	2.38%

Sterling Veterans by Race

Sterling Veterans by Education

6.68%

Veteran Poverty Rate

29.58%

Veteran Disability Rate

Sterling Veterans by Education

62.1%

Labor Force Participation

59.4%

Employment Rate

4.2%

Unemployment Rate

Sterling Employment by Age

Sterling Employment by Race

Sterling Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

73.18%

Born in Sterling

94.03%

Native Born

5.97%

Foreign Born

4.19%

Non Citizen

1.78%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

94.03% of Sterling residents were born in the United States, with 73.18% having been born in Illinois. 4.19% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Sterling Place of Birth

Year	Population	Growth	Annual Growth Rate
2021	16,699	-127	-0.75%
2020	16,826	-127	-0.75%
2019	16,953	-127	-0.74%
2018	17,080	-151	-0.88%
2017	17,231	-163	-0.94%
2016	17,394	-141	-0.80%
2015	17,535	-40	-0.23%
2014	17,575	-107	-0.61%
2013	17,682	-109	-0.61%
2012	17,791	-158	-0.88%
2011	17,949	-82	-0.45%
2010	18,031		0.00%

Sterling, Illinois Population 2021

Sterling Demographics

Sterling, Illinois Population 2021

Population by Race

Sterling Population by Race

Sterling Population Pyramid $2021

Sterling Median Age

Sterling Adults

Sterling Age Dependency

Sterling Sex Ratio

Sterling Population by Age

Sterling Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Sterling Household Types

Sterling Households and Families

Sterling Households by Type

Sterling Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Sterling Educational Attainment by Race

Sterling Educational Attainment by Race

Sterling Earnings by Educational Attainment

Sterling Language by Age

Sterling Language

Sterling Language

Sterling Poverty by Race

Poverty in Sterling

Sterling Poverty

Sterling Poverty Rate by Education

Sterling Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Sterling Income by Household Type

Income by Household Type

Sterling Marital Status

Marriage Rates

Sterling Married by Age and Sex

Sterling Marriage

Sterling Marital Status by Race

Sterling Marital Status

Sterling Veterans by War

Sterling Veterans by Age

Sterling Veterans by Race

Sterling Veterans by Education

Sterling Veterans by Education

Sterling Employment by Age

Sterling Employment by Race

Sterling Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Place of Birth

Sterling Place of Birth

Sterling Population by Year