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CITY

Sterling Heights

Michigan · 133,931 residents (2025 est.) · 36.4 sq mi
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Part of the Detroit metro area
The short version

With 133,573 people, Sterling Heights is a city in Michigan. The foreign-born share is 28%. Density works out to 3,665 people per square mile. 76% of homes are owner-occupied. Home values have risen by half since 2000, reaching $274,300. 31% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 41.7
US median: 38.9
Average education
31% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
133,573
+7%since 2000
from 124,471 in 2000
133,931 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
3,665 / sq mi
+5%since 2009
from 3,492 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
41.7
+13%since 2000
from 37.0 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
36.4 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
116K121K126K131K136K19902000201020202024Sterling Heights
2024134K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55%(6,617)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.2%(6,988)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.6%(7,523)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 195.8%(7,691)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.2%(8,315)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3414.8%(19,792)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4411.1%(14,775)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5413.5%(18,033)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6413.6%(18,105)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7411.1%(14,886)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.6%(7,465)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.5%(3,383)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$79,909
−27%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $60,494 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$38,084
+53%since 2000
from $24,958 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
52.8%
+14.3 ptssince 2009
from 38.6% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
11.1%
+5.8 ptssince 2000
from 5.2% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.420
+10%since 2010
from 0.381 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade21.5%
US avg: 9.9%
Information11.8%
US avg: 10.8%
Finance & insurance6.1%
US avg: 5.9%
Other services6%
US avg: 6.7%
Professional, scientific, technical5.7%
US avg: 5.1%
Wholesale trade5.1%
US avg: 6.9%
Public administration5%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing1.6%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.2%
US avg: 1.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.7%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.7%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.4%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$274,300
−5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $157,800 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,292
+10%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $644 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
75.8%
−3.2 ptssince 2000
from 79.0% in 2000
24.2% rent
Vacancy rate
3.5%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 4.9% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.57 people
−2%since 2009
from 2.62 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
23.1%
−5.2 ptssince 2009
from 28.4% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
53.7%
+12.5 ptssince 2009
from 41.2% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.4
+12%since 2009
from 3.1 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
43
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic89.8%(111,743)
Black1.3%(1,602)
Hispanic / Latino1.3%(1,665)
Asian4.9%(6,100)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic76.2%(101,731)
Black7.4%(9,918)
Hispanic / Latino3%(4,023)
Asian9.2%(12,337)
Other4.2%(5,564)
Diversity Score
50
+51%since 2009
from 33 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican2%(2,675)
Puerto Rican0.3%(433)
Cuban0.1%(194)
Dominican0.1%(130)
Venezuelan0.1%(83)
Spaniard0%(20)
Peruvian0%(16)
+ 1 more hispanic origin group with data
Asian origin
Asian Indian3.6%(4,826)
Filipino1.4%(1,893)
Bangladeshi1.2%(1,636)
Chinese0.9%(1,233)
Vietnamese0.6%(839)
Korean0.5%(614)
Pakistani0.3%(455)
Hmong0.1%(174)
Laotian0.1%(165)
Japanese0.1%(74)
Cambodian0%(27)
+ 2 more asian origin groups with data
Thai0%(24)
Kazakh0%(21)
Pacific Islander origin
Guamanian0%(15)
Samoan0%(14)
Ancestry
German12.6%(16,825)
Polish11.2%(14,981)
Arab8.8%(11,784)
Italian7.3%(9,695)
Irish6.8%(9,101)
English5.6%(7,418)
Iraqi4.8%(6,348)
American2.7%(3,576)
French1.8%(2,419)
Scottish1.4%(1,846)
French Canadian1.4%(1,804)
Lebanese1.1%(1,515)
+ 44 more ancestry groups with data
Ukrainian1%(1,350)
Romanian1%(1,335)
Macedonian0.9%(1,159)
Greek0.8%(1,132)
Swedish0.7%(964)
Belgian0.7%(916)
Dutch0.6%(864)
Canadian0.5%(715)
Russian0.5%(710)
Syrian0.5%(640)
Slovak0.4%(592)
Finnish0.4%(558)
Hungarian0.4%(547)
Norwegian0.4%(532)
Scotch-Irish0.3%(431)
Armenian0.3%(401)
Welsh0.3%(382)
Egyptian0.3%(379)
West Indian0.3%(361)
Serbian0.2%(315)
British0.2%(236)
Ghanaian0.2%(224)
Jamaican0.2%(224)
Danish0.2%(207)
Czech0.2%(206)
Jordanian0.1%(200)
Slovene0.1%(189)
Lithuanian0.1%(187)
Austrian0.1%(183)
Israeli0.1%(109)
Croatian0.1%(106)
Kenyan0.1%(99)
Portuguese0.1%(89)
Iranian0.1%(87)
Swiss0.1%(68)
Haitian0%(60)
Turkish0%(52)
Nigerian0%(40)
Bulgarian0%(39)
Brazilian0%(34)
Latvian0%(30)
Ethiopian0%(10)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
31.1%
+8.2 ptssince 2000
from 23.0% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
86.9%
+2.9 ptssince 2000
from 84.0% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
10.4%
+3.1 ptssince 2000
from 7.2% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
24.7 min
+47%since 2000
from 16.8 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
72.6%
−15.9 ptssince 2009
from 88.5% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
9.5%
+1.8 ptssince 2009
from 7.7% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.5%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.4% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
15.7%
+13.5 ptssince 2009
from 2.1% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
0.6%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.8% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.4%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
7.1%
+1.4 ptssince 2009
from 5.7% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
6.1%
−5.3 ptssince 2011
from 11.3% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
61.2%
−3.4 ptssince 2011
from 64.6% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
71.5%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 70.7% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
9.1%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 8.3% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
39.9%
+3.7 ptssince 2009
from 36.1% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.8%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 48.9% in 2009
Female
51.2%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 51.1% in 2009
Foreign born
28.0%
+6.3 ptssince 2009
from 21.6% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
3.8%
−4.5 ptssince 2009
from 8.3% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
13.9%
+1.5 ptssince 2012
from 12.4% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
5.7%
−6.6 ptssince 2013
from 12.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
93.9%
+9.9 ptssince 2017
from 84.0% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
95.8%
+2.0 ptssince 2020
from 93.8% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
91.5%
+1.4 ptssince 2020
from 90.1% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
64.8%
−2.6 ptssince 2016
from 67.5% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
1.4%
−0.1 ptssince 2016
from 1.4% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married34.3%(18,735)
Married54.8%(29,970)
Widowed3.7%(2,003)
Divorced7.3%(3,968)
Women 15+
Never married28.6%(16,542)
Married50.8%(29,371)
Widowed10.6%(6,142)
Divorced9.9%(5,714)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
5.7%
−6.6 ptssince 2013
from 12.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
56.5%
−0.5 ptssince 2020
from 57.0% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
13.2%
−2.0 ptssince 2020
from 15.2% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
20.2%
+1.4 ptssince 2020
from 18.8% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
25.4%
+2.0 ptssince 2020
from 23.4% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.0%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 1.2% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
67.2%
−2.4 ptssince 2020
from 69.6% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
41.9%
+3.1 ptssince 2020
from 38.8% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)14.9%(605)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)11.7%(475)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era32.3%(1,315)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War7.5%(306)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II4.3%(175)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 4,071 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
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Compare Sterling Heights to nearby cities

STERLING HEIGHTS VS
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Income$64,354−19%
Home value$215,900−21%
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STERLING HEIGHTS VS
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Home value$420,300+53%
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STERLING HEIGHTS VS
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Income$64,016−20%
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STERLING HEIGHTS VS
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Frequently asked

How many people live in Sterling Heights, Michigan?

Sterling Heights, Michigan has about 133,573 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Sterling Heights, Michigan?

The typical household in Sterling Heights, Michigan earns about $79,909 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Sterling Heights, Michigan expensive?

In Sterling Heights, Michigan, the median home is worth about $274,300, and the typical rent is about $1,292 a month.

How educated are people in Sterling Heights, Michigan?

About 31.1% of adults age 25 and over in Sterling Heights, Michigan hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Sterling Heights, Michigan?

About 11.1% of people in Sterling Heights, Michigan live below the federal poverty line.

Has Sterling Heights, Michigan grown since 1990?

Yes, Sterling Heights, Michigan has grown since 1990. The population has added about 15,763 residents, a change of about 13 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →