Demographics · MI
Sterling Heights, MI demographics: 133,573 residents, with a median age of 41.7 years, from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2020–2024 (5-year estimates).
133,573people are estimated in Sterling Heights, at a median age of 41.7 years (American Community Survey 2020–2024 period estimate)
Median age 41.7 years — older than the U.S. median of 38.9.
ACS 2020–2024 5-year · ACS 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024 (released 2026-01-29)
In Sterling Heights, the largest race group is White (77.0%); 3.0% of residents are Hispanic or Latino (of any race); 28.0% were born outside the United States.
ACS 2020–2024 · B01001 / B01002
The estimated median age in Sterling Heights is 41.7 years (±0.9), compared with the U.S. estimate of 38.9 ± 0.1 years. These are descriptive comparisons, not significance tests. The population is 48.8% ± 0.9 percentage points male and 51.2% ± 0.9 percentage points female. The largest age band is 25 to 34 at 14.8%.
| Age band | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 6,617 | 5.0% ± 0.5 percentage points | ±682 |
| 5 to 17 | 19,261 | 14.4% ± 0.8 percentage points | ±1,043 |
| 18 to 24 | 11,256 | 8.4% ± 0.7 percentage points | ±959 |
| 25 to 34 | 19,792 | 14.8% ± 0.8 percentage points | ±1,126 |
| 35 to 44 | 14,775 | 11.1% ± 0.6 percentage points | ±799 |
| 45 to 54 | 18,033 | 13.5% ± 0.7 percentage points | ±936 |
| 55 to 64 | 18,105 | 13.6% ± 0.7 percentage points | ±992 |
| 65 to 74 | 14,886 | 11.1% ± 0.7 percentage points | ±881 |
| 75 and over | 10,848 | 8.1% ± 0.5 percentage points | ±723 |
Median age by sex: 40.5 (male) · 43.2 (female).
Shares may not sum to 100% due to rounding. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B01001 sex by age, B01002 median age) · place-grain · margins of error at the 90% confidence level · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B02001 / B03003
The largest race group in Sterling Heights is White at 77.0% of the population. Separately, 3.0% of residents are Hispanic or Latino of any race.Race and Hispanic origin are two different questions on the census form, so their shares are reported separately and are not additive.
| Race (alone, or two or more) | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| White alone | 102,868 | 77.0% ± 1.3 percentage points | ±1,751 |
| Black or African American alone | 10,172 | 7.6% ± 0.9 percentage points | ±1,141 |
| American Indian & Alaska Native alone | 175 | 0.1% ± 0.1 percentage points | ±135 · low precision |
| Asian alone | 12,361 | 9.3% ± 1.1 percentage points | ±1,454 |
| Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander alone | 224 | 0.2% ± 0.2 percentage points | ±239 · low precision |
| Some other race alone | 1,630 | 1.2% ± 0.5 percentage points | ±633 |
| Two or more races | 6,143 | 4.6% ± 0.6 percentage points | ±831 |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 4,023 | 3.0% ± 0.6 percentage points | ±778 |
Race shares may not sum to 100% due to rounding; race and Hispanic origin are separate questions and are not additive. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B02001 race, B03003 Hispanic or Latino origin) · place-grain · margins of error at the 90% confidence level · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B11001 / B25010
Sterling Heights has 51,736 households. 67.8% are family households and 28.8% are people living alone. The average household holds 2.57 people.
Total households
51,736
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B11001
Avg household size
2.57
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B25010 · ±0.05
Family households
67.8% ± 0.7 percentage points
Share of all households · B11001
Living alone
28.8% ± 2.1 percentage points
Share of all households · B11001
| Household type | Households | ± margin |
|---|---|---|
| Total households | 51,736 | ±1,021 |
| Family households | 35,096 | ±787 |
| Nonfamily households | 16,640 | ±1,153 |
| Householder living alone | 14,921 | ±1,143 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B11001 household type, B25010 average household size) · place-grain · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B05002 / C16001
28.0% of Sterling Heights residents were born outside the United States. 64.8% of residents age 5 and over speak only English at home. The most-spoken non-English language at home is Arabic (9.8%).
| Measure | Value | Source / grain |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign-born share | 28.0% ± 1.4 percentage points | 37,350 people · B05002 |
| Speak only English at home (age 5+) | 64.8% ± 1.7 percentage points | C16001 |
| Top non-English language at home | 9.8% ± 1.2 percentage points | Arabic · 12,388 speakers · C16001 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B05002 place of birth, C16001 language spoken at home) · place-grain · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B15003
31.1% ± 1.5 percentage points of adults age 25 and over in Sterling Heights hold a bachelor's degree or higher. The U.S. estimate is 35.7%.
| Measure | Value | Source / grain |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 31.1% | B15003 lines 22–25 over line 1 · place-grain |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B15003 educational attainment, population 25+) · place-grain · methodology →
Sources · provenance
The GEOID for Sterling Heights is 2676460. Every figure on this page is a place-grain American Community Survey 5-Year 2020–2024 estimate (ACS 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024 (released 2026-01-29)) shown with its margin of error. Full per-dataset detail: /sources/.