Sterling, Illinois Population 2024

14,397

Sterling Demographics

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

  • White: 80.33%
  • Two or more races: 11.61%
  • Other race: 3.63%
  • Black or African American: 2.13%
  • Asian: 1.67%
  • Native American: 0.53%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.09%
Land Area (mi²)
5.9 sq mi
Density (mi²)
2,421.40/sq mi
Growth Since 2020
-2.98% (-442)
The current population of Sterling, Illinois is 14,397 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates (released May 2024). The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 14,839.

Population by Race

Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White11,93180.33%
Two or more races1,72511.61%
Other race5393.63%
Black or African American3172.13%
Asian2481.67%
Native American780.53%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander140.09%

White

Two or more races

Other race

Black or African American

Asian

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Sterling Population by Race

Sterling Population Pyramid 2024

Sterling Median Age

43

Total

37.4

Male

45.4

Female

Sterling Adults

There are 11,956 adults, (3,345 of whom are seniors) in Sterling.

Sterling Age Dependency

72.5

Age Dependency Ratio

38.8

Old Age Dependency Ratio

33.6

Child Dependency Ratio

Sterling Sex Ratio

Female7,14748.12%
Male7,70551.88%

Sterling Population by Age

Sterling Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All6,5322.216238
Non Family2,9511.2142.157.9
Married2,1492.9589.610.4
Female1,1063.1562.937.1
Male3263.325842

2.9

Average Family Size

2.21

Average Household Size

62.0%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Sterling Households and Families

Male

Female

Education Attained
Count
Percentage
9th to 12th Grade6296.05%
Associates Degree1,11910.76%
Bachelors Degree9699.32%
Graduate Degree7447.16%
High School Graduate4,10239.45%
Less Than 9th Grade4023.87%
Some College2,43223.39%

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Sterling Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Sterling Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

Race
Total
High School
Bachelors
White7,6086,9631,236
Hispanic2,1111,775362
2+ Races837725187
Other Race3902680
Asian19416658
Black19117851
Native American634242
Islander14140

The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 100%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among native american people with a rate of 66.67%.

Sterling Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

Name
Average
Male
Female
Bachelors Degree$52,681$55,638$47,188
Graduate Degree$45,737$66,094$43,265
High School Graduate$35,038$39,907$27,045
Less Than 9th Grade$22,000$52,583$18,534
Overall$40,645$42,581$36,439
Some College$41,885$43,814$36,425

$40,645

Average Earnings

$42,581

Average Male

$36,439

Average Female

Sterling Earnings by Educational Attainment

Sterling Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Sterling Language

86.84% of Sterling residents speak only English, while 13.16% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 10.01% of the population.

Sterling Language

Sterling Poverty by Race

rate

Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
White9,4691,24113.11%
Hispanic3,89449412.69%
Multiple1,70841624.36%
Black3178326.18%
Other5395810.76%
Asian2483313.31%

15.09%

Overall Poverty Rate

13.85%

Male Poverty Rate

16.44%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Sterling

The race most likely to be in poverty in Sterling is Black, with 26.18% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Sterling is Other, with 10.76% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 3.75%. Among those working part-time, it was 17.85%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 20.86%.

Sterling Poverty

rate

Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade22.89%
High School11.25%
Some College10.43%
Bachelors or Greater8.11%

Sterling Poverty Rate by Education

rate

Rate
Poverty
Male Unemployed41.64%
Female Employed9.18%
Female Unemployed6.73%
Male Employed4.9%

Sterling Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Sterling Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

Name
Median
Mean
Families$63,877$87,838
Households$49,007$69,054
Married Families$90,373$-999,999,999
Non Families$28,836$40,487

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Sterling Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

38.1%

Overall Marriage Rate

38.5%

Male Marriage Rate

37.7%

Female Marriage Rate

Sterling Married by Age and Sex

male

female

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

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Sterling Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

1,027

Number of Veterans

952

Male Veterans

75

Female Veterans

War
Veterans
Vietnam459
Korea184
First Gulf War140
Second Gulf War96
World War II23

Sterling Veterans by War

count

Age Group
Veterans
65 to 74368
75+358
35 to 54152
55 to 64149
18 to 340

Sterling Veterans by Age

count

Name
Veterans
% of Total
White8418.58%
Hispanic2117.91%
2+ Races1069.55%
Other Race6913.86%
Black114.18%

Sterling Veterans by Race

Sterling Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

3.05%

Veteran Poverty Rate

41.59%

Veteran Disability Rate

Sterling Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

61.3%

Labor Force Participation

58.1%

Employment Rate

5.1%

Unemployment Rate

Sterling Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Sterling Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Sterling Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

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

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

78.91%

Born in Sterling

94.82%

Native Born

5.18%

Foreign Born

3.56%

Non Citizen

1.62%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

94.82% of Sterling residents were born in the United States, with 78.91% having been born in Illinois. 3.56% 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

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change
Year
Population
Growth
Change
202913,845-111-0.8%
202813,956-110-0.78%
202714,066-110-0.78%
202614,176-111-0.78%
202514,287-110-0.76%
202414,397-111-0.77%
202314,508-33-0.23%
202214,541-211-1.43%
202114,752-87-0.59%
202014,8393712.56%
201914,468-96-0.66%
201814,564-154-1.05%
201714,718-136-0.92%
201614,854-123-0.82%
201514,977-33-0.22%
201415,010-88-0.58%
201315,098-99-0.65%
201215,197-139-0.91%
201115,336-76-0.49%
201015,41200%
200015,4513192.11%
199015,132-1,149-7.06%
198016,2811681.04%
197016,1134252.71%
196015,6882,87122.4%
195012,8171,45412.8%
194011,3631,35113.49%
193010,0121,83022.37%
19208,1827159.58%
19107,4671,15818.35%
19006,3094858.33%
18905,82473714.49%
18805,0871,08927.24%
18703,998-9,847-71.12%

Sterling Population by Year