Sterling Heights, Michigan population is 133,931 as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimate), ranking #219 nationally and #4 in Michigan. Cost of living runs 0.3% above the U.S. average (BEA RPP 2024); a family of four needs roughly $95,038/yr to break even (2025 modeled). This profile draws on 13 federal datasets covering population, housing, income, employment, climate, and risk.
133,931 people live in Sterling Heights as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025), the #219 largest U.S. city.
How big is Sterling Heights?
Sterling Heights covers 36.4 square miles of land and 0.3 square miles of water. Its population density is about 3,674 residents per square mile of land. Compare U.S. cities by land area →
Source detail: 2025 population
2025 population
Source agency
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division
Dataset
Census PEP
Vintage / period
Vintage 2025 (Jul 1, 2025)
Native geography
Census PEP subcounty place records for the included city universe.
Transformation
Copied from POPESTIMATE2025, joined by Census GEOID, and used for ranks, filters, and city pages.
Known limit: Annual estimate, not a decennial count; each new PEP vintage can revise the prior series.
Population shrank 0.3% from the April 2020 base to mid-2025.
Vintage 2025 · annual estimates
Recent history (V2025 series, 2020 base → 2025).
2020 base: 134,340 → 2025: 133,931 (-0.3%)
Year
Population
Reference date
2020 base
134,340
April 1, 2020
2020
134,106
July 1, 2020
2021
133,217
July 1, 2021
2022
132,423
July 1, 2022
2023
133,409
July 1, 2023
2024
133,788
July 1, 2024
2025
133,931
July 1, 2025
Earlier history (2010–2019, prior Census vintage)
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2019 release — a separate, earlier methodology. They’re shown here as historical context only; the 2010 and 2019 values aren’t directly comparable to the 2020–2025 series above.
Population grew 2.1% from the July 2010 estimate to 2019 (V2019 — see seam note below).
Sterling Heights is the #219 largest of 19,483 U.S. cities and #4 in Michigan.
▸Show the analyst detail (9 rows)
Measure
Value
Note
2020 base
134,340
April 1, 2020 census base
5-yr change
-409
2020 base → 2025; within V2025
5-yr change %
-0.3%
within V2025 only
1-yr change
+143
2024 → 2025 estimate
1-yr change %
+0.1%
within V2025 only
Density
3,674
people per sq mi, land only
Land area
36.4
sq mi (2025 Gazetteer)
U.S. rank by population
#219
of 19,483 cities
State rank by population
#4
of 533 in Michigan
What is the median household income in Sterling Heights?
Median household income is 3% above the U.S. median ($79,909 vs $77,719); 11.1% live in poverty — 1.4 points below the 12.5% U.S. rate.
Median household income$79,909
US
Sterling Heights: $79,909 — 3% above the US median of $77,719.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS income data
Sterling Heights
$79,909
United States
$77,719
Income and poverty estimates for Sterling Heights from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates (window 2020–2024). Every figure is shown with its 90% margin of error (MOE). Cells where the ± margin exceeds half the estimate are flagged "low precision." See methodology §12.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median household income
79,909+2.8% vs US
±3,056
Per capita income
38,084-12.0% vs US
±987
Population in poverty
11.1%
share of population for whom poverty status is determined
Median home value is 10% below the U.S. median ($274,300 vs $303,400); median rent is 4% below ($1,292 vs $1,348); price-to-income ratio is 3.4×, making it 1.1× as affordable as the typical U.S. city (3.9×).
Median home value$274,300
US
Sterling Heights: $274,300 — 10% below the US median of $303,400.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS home-value data
HUD 2-BR fair-market rent$1,411/mo
US
Sterling Heights: $1,411/mo — 31% above the US median of $1,077/mo.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with a HUD Fair Market Rent
Poverty (Census SAIPE 2024, model-based), unemployment (BLS LAUS 2024 annual averages), and remote-work share (ACS 2020–2024) for Sterling Heights. Numbers are labeled at their native grain — place-grain when BLS publishes it, otherwise per-county. We do not compute population-weighted county averages. See methodology §13.
Measure
Value
Grain
Unemployment rate (annual avg)
4.8%
Sterling Heights (BLS sub-state LAUS)
Civilian labor force
67,358
2024 annual avg
Worked from home
15.7%+11.8% vs US
share of workers 16+ commuting from home · U.S. median: 14% · ACS
County context — Sterling Heights sits in Macomb County:
County
Poverty rate
Median HH income
Unemployment
Macomb County
10.8%
$77,928
4.5%
Top industries by private employment — NAICS supersectors rolled up from Sterling Heights's linked county in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW, 2024 annual averages). See methodology §11.
#
Industry (NAICS supersector)
Private employment
Avg weekly wage
#1
Manufacturing (31-33)
63,562
$1,632 / wk
#2
Health care and social assistance (62)
43,428
$1,095 / wk
#3
Retail trade (44-45)
40,456
$822 / wk
#4
Professional and technical services (54)
30,840
$2,486 / wk
#5
Accommodation and food services (72)
28,154
$477 / wk
What workers earn in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro — top occupations by employment plus six curated benchmarks (registered nurse, software developer, elementary teacher, general manager, retail salesperson, truck driver). Wages are metro-area medians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). See methodology §25.
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators is the largest tracked occupation in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro (55,100 jobs, median $49,240/yr).
▸Show all 13 occupations
Occupation
Employment
Median annual
Median hourly
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators
55,100
$49,240
$23.67
Home Health and Personal Care Aides
46,480
$35,120
$16.89
Fast Food and Counter Workers
42,430
$29,590
$14.23
Cashiers
37,910
$30,090
$14.47
Stockers and Order Fillers
37,090
$36,720
$17.66
Office Clerks, General
34,570
$45,810
$22.02
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
34,030
$40,330
$19.39
Retail Salespersons · benchmark
48,610
$35,130
$16.89
Registered Nurses · benchmark
44,310
$97,280
$46.77
General and Operations Managers · benchmark
37,250
$104,010
$50.01
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers · benchmark
25,780
$59,120
$28.43
Software Developers · benchmark
24,870
$130,760
$62.87
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education · benchmark
All items run within 1 point of the U.S. average (RPP 100.3); utilities stand out at RPP 107.0 (7.0% above the U.S. average).
Cost of living (RPP, all items)RPP 100.3
US
Sterling Heights's cost of living runs 0.3% above the U.S. average (RPP 100.3 vs 100).
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of metro/non-metro areas with a BEA price parity
BEA Regional Price Parity (all items)
RPP 100.3
+0.3% vs U.S. average · BEA 2024 · Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR
$1,411/mo
FY2026 · Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI HUD Metro FMR Area
State income tax (top marginal rate)
4.25%
flat · TY2025
Family-of-four monthly budget total
$7,920/mo
3BR rent + food + childcare + taxes + transport · federal sources
Single-adult monthly budget total
$4,457/mo
1BR rent + food + taxes + transport · federal sources
Local income tax
—
not applicable in Michigan · no modeled local income tax
Household budget figures are arithmetic floors using current federal sources at the grains documented in methodology. Not a recommended salary, not a poverty threshold, not a composite score.
28.0% foreign-born (U.S. median 14%); Arabic is the most-spoken language at home other than English (9.8% of residents 5+).
A quick read on Sterling Heights's residents — nativity and languages spoken at home shown above, from the ACS 5-Year 2020–2024. The full demographic breakdown (age, race and ethnicity, household types, and educational attainment, each with its margin of error) lives on the demographics page.
These are K-12 public school districts. Higher education (colleges and universities) is not represented in this dataset.
Public school districts serving Sterling Heights, from the NCES EDGE Geographic Relationship Files (GRF25, 2024–25 school year boundaries). The join is many-to-many — large cities often span multiple districts, and one district often serves multiple cities. Sorted primary district first. See methodology §12 for the consolidated-city fallback and Milford CT special case.
Source: NCES EDGE GRF25 · school year 2024–25 · methodology →
What is the climate like in Sterling Heights?
Hottest month: July (84°F avg high). Coldest: January (18°F avg low). Annual precipitation: 33.6 in.
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) for Sterling Heights from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. See methodology §15 for the gridded vs. station source path.
Average monthly highs & lows · 30-year normal (NOAA 1991–2020). Every number on this chart is an average.
bar = avg daily high → avg daily lowprecip in inches below each barprecip in millimeters below each bar
How safe is Sterling Heights from natural disasters?
Composite risk score: 96.7/100 — Relatively High nationally; top hazard: Tornado (99.3).
Natural-hazard exposure for Sterling Heights from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index (FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0). NRI is an expected-annual-loss composite calibrated on 1996–2019 historical losses, published at the U.S. county grain. See methodology §17.
County
NRI composite
Rating
Top hazards
Macomb County
96.7
Relatively High
Tornado 99.3 Very High · Cold Wave 99.0 Very High · Strong Wind 98.6 Very High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index · FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0 · methodology →
How fast is home internet in Sterling Heights?
11 non-satellite ISPs serve the area; 40% of locations have gigabit-capable service per ISP filings.
Fixed broadband availability for Sterling Heights from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Collection (BDC), as of June 30, 2025. Every speed and provider count below is an ISP-reported advertised maximum — not measured throughput. Actual delivered speeds typically run 60–80% of advertised. See methodology §16.
Measure
Value
Note
Providers serving this city
11 + satellite
distinct ISPs, excluding satellite-only
Fiber providers
9
offer fiber-to-the-premises somewhere in the BDC
Units with ≥100/20 Mbps fixed
100.0%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Locations with ≥100 Mbps upload
39.5%
derived: max(fiber ≥100/20, gigabit). Fiber is symmetric; gigabit is ≥100 up by definition
Units with ≥1 Gbps fixed
39.5%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Total broadband-serviceable units
55,358
residential locations in the FCC Fabric (not households)
Source: FCC BDC · as of June 30, 2025 · methodology →
In-state context.
Sterling Heights sits at state rank #4 among 533 cities in Michigan. Nearby in the state ranking:
Just above in the profiled set: Carrollton, TX · #218 · 134,562 residents.
Just below in the profiled set: Santa Clara, CA · #220 · 133,446 residents.
Quick travel facts for Sterling Heights
Quick travel facts.
Nearest commercial airport
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport(DTW) · 30 mi 49 km from city centroid
Sources: elevation from USGS Elevation Point Query Service (3DEP) · nearest airport from OurAirports CSV (FAA-aligned, type=large/medium, scheduled_service=yes) · best months derived from NOAA 1991-2020 normals · methodology →
Frequently asked questions about Sterling Heights.
How many people live in Sterling Heights, MI?
Sterling Heights has 133,931 residents as of July 1, 2025, making it the #219 largest city in the United States and #4 in Michigan. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025.
Is Sterling Heights growing or shrinking?
Sterling Heights has shrunk 0.3% since the April 2020 census baseline, losing 409 residents. The most recent year ticked up slightly (+143 residents, +0.1% from 2024 to 2025). Source: Census PEP Vintage 2025.
What was Sterling Heights's population in the 2020 census?
Sterling Heights covers 36.4 square miles of land, with a population density of about 3,674 residents per square mile. Source: Census Gazetteer 2025.
What is the median household income in Sterling Heights?
$79,909, about 3% above the U.S. median. Source: ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.
SourceU.S. Census · PEP
VintageV2025
Reference2025-07-01
Place typeIncorporated place
GEOID2676460
Last build2026-08-27
Sources · provenance
Every listed dataset is used on this page.
The GEOID for Sterling Heights is 2676460. These are the official datasets used by this profile's main data modules; click "methodology" for inclusion rules and the V2019 ↔ V2025 seam, or "source" for the raw publisher page. The headline population value above includes a source-detail disclosure with publisher, dataset, vintage, native geography, transformation, and caveat.
