Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety31#10,755/15,637
Economy48#8,059/15,631
Housing94#956/14,977
Health41#9,254/15,609
Healthcare34#10,282/15,650
Environment56#6,852/15,453
Education85#2,346/15,649
Infrastructure77#3,662/15,650
Community79#3,303/15,651
Leisure & amenities66#5,328/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Sterling, Kansas ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Rice County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Public libraries · high5.4 /10k
99/100Kansas 1.3 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesRice County value
Child care cost burden · low17.7%
99/100Kansas 18.9%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRice County value
Social associations · high20.5 /10k
98/100Kansas 13.1 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRice County value
Students per teacher · low10.3×
97/100Kansas 13.3×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsRice County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low100 min
96/100Kansas 129 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesRice County value
Grocery stores · high3.2 /10k
96/100Kansas 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsRice County value

Weaknesses

Flu vaccinations · low18.0%
1/100Kansas 46.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRice County value
Pharmacies · low0.0 /10k
1/100Kansas 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsRice County value
Mental health providers · low43 /100k
5/100Kansas 266 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRice County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low2.2 /10k
14/100Kansas 3.4 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsRice County value
Dentists · low32 /100k
14/100Kansas 64 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRice County value
Job growth · low-1.8%
15/100Kansas 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataRice County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
2,596 (2015-2019) → 2,411 (2020-2024)
−7.1%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateImproving
21.6% (2015-2019) → 2.2% (2020-2024)
−19 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
77.8% (2015-2019) → 93.3% (2020-2024)
+16 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
New homes permittedWorsening
8.0 /1k (2021) → 2.1 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−74%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Average commute timeWorsening
12.2 min (2015-2019) → 20.9 min (2020-2024)
+71%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Poverty rateImproving
19.7% (2015-2019) → 5.7% (2020-2024)
−14 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Sterling, Kansas improved on 2 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Poverty−14 points19.7% → 5.7%
Broadband+16 points77.8% → 93.3%

Declined1

Commute+8.7 min12.2 min → 20.9 min

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Sterling, Kansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	12.2 min2015-2019	20.9 min2020-2024	+8.7 min	Declined	3%
Bachelor's degree or higher	33.0%2015-2019	39.8%2020-2024	+6.8 points	Within the margin of error	78%
Broadband subscriptions	77.8%2015-2019	93.3%2020-2024	+16 points	Improved	81%
Effective property tax rate	1.65%2015-2019	1.33%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	78%
High school diploma or higher	92.9%2015-2019	95.5%2020-2024	+2.6 points	Within the margin of error	65%
Home price to income ratio	1.8×2015-2019	2.4×2020-2024

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Sterling, Kansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Sterling, Kansas in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Sterling, Kansas itself moved −4.4 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

2,411 residents (±216)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

2,411 residents (±216)

Sterling, Kansas
Kansas share

White86%2,063
Black3.6%†86
Hispanic or Latino7.3%†175
Asian0.1%†3
American Indian and Alaska Native1.0%†24
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races2.5%†60

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

1,316 residents (±155)

Sterling, Kansas
Kansas share

No high school diploma4.5%†59
High school or GED25%325
Some college22%289
Associate degree9.0%†119
Bachelor's degree25%324
Graduate degree15%†200

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Bachelor's degree (+9.7 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

835 households (±111)

Sterling, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $25k17%†145
$25k–50k24%†202
$50k–75k21%†179
$75k–100k11%†96
$100k–150k18%†147
$150k–200k1.4%†12
$200k or more6.5%†54

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−12.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

835 households (±111)

Sterling, Kansas
Kansas share

Own76%631
Rent24%†204

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

201 households (±66)

Sterling, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $75057%†114
$750–1,00029%†59
$1,000–1,50011%†23

Home values

631 homes (±90)

Sterling, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $150k55%344
$150k–250k32%†201
$250k–400k11%†70

Age of homes

952 homes (±110)

Sterling, Kansas
Kansas share

2010 or later3.7%†35
2000–20095.3%†50
1980–199913%†126

Size of homes

952 homes (±110)

Sterling, Kansas
Kansas share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom11%†100
2 bedrooms34%319

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,131 workers (±139)

Sterling, Kansas
Kansas share

Drive alone71%807
Carpool6.3%†71
Public transit0.0%0
Walk12%†137
Bike1.3%†15
Work from home7.9%†89
Other1.1%†12

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,042 workers (±138)

Sterling, Kansas
Kansas share

Under 15 min61%638
15–29 min16%†171
30–44 min12%†125

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Rice County, the county holding most of Sterling's residents.

Rice County has 265 employer establishments, 285 for every 10,000 residents (1.15× the US rate of 248; 1.11× Kansas's), with 2,285 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,375. The Census Bureau also counts 651 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 265; 651 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 285; US 248 · Kansas 258
Paid employees: 2,285
Average annual pay: $43,375; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Rice County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	20	21.5	1.17×About typical	177	$15,192	4
Specialty trade contractors	18	19.4	1.25×More than typical	64	$52,922	64
Religious organizations	16	17.2	3.11×More than typical	73	$14,658	—
Ambulatory health care services	11	11.8	0.57×Fewer than typical	30	$34,867	24
Full-service restaurants	11	11.8	1.54×More than typical	84	$18,167	—
Truck transportation	10	10.8	2.13×More than typical	42	$52,143	32
Insurance agencies and brokerages	9	9.7	2.21×Too few to compare	34	$43,500	8
Offices of other health practitioners	9	9.7	1.59×Too few to compare	13	$44,077	9
Banks and credit unions	8	8.6	2.67×Too few to compare	69	$50,536	—
Limited-service restaurants	8	8.6	1.07×Too few to compare	80	$13,250	—
Building equipment contractors	7	7.5	1.25×Too few to compare	33	$50,576	10
Automotive repair and maintenance	6	6.5	1.28×Too few to compare	23	$52,435	10

Rank places for an industry Open Rice County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 9,288 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Sterling, Kansas: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0; −100% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

142.9FY2020
-5.6FY2021
603.2FY2025

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Sterling, Kansas, so they do not add up across cities.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Sterling is mostly in Rice County.

See federal money in Rice County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Sterling, Kansas is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Tracey MannR-KS-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 0.3%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Rice County75100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Rice County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2068200