Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US counties.

Safety41#1,837/3,096
Economy85#460/3,143
Housing39#1,906/3,140
Health94#184/3,144
Healthcare6#2,963/3,143
Environment67#1,020/3,108
Education46#1,712/3,144
Infrastructure51#1,556/3,144
Community78#677/3,144
Leisure & amenities50#1,574/3,143

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Sterling County, Texas ranks highest and lowest among US counties (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Child care cost burden · low14.7%
100/100Texas 24.5%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Social associations · high28.6 /10k
99/100Texas 7.3 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Premature death · low4,197 /100k
99/100Texas 7,960 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHigh uncertainty
Grocery stores · high7.4 /10k
97/100Texas 1.1 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Cost of buying a home today · low16.5%
97/100Texas 30.7%United States 34.1%Aug 2026Zillow Research
Public libraries · high7.3 /10k
97/100Texas 0.3 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library Services

Weaknesses

Restaurants and bars · low0.0 /10k
1/100Texas 7.8 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Primary care physicians · low0 /100k
1/100Texas 61 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Distance to an emergency room · high33.9 mi
2/100Texas 5.5 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Dentists · low0 /100k
3/100Texas 63 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Hot days · high111 days
4/100Texas 111 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Traffic deaths · high57.8 /100k
5/100Texas 14.1 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional data

Trends

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

Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
13.0% (2015-2019) → 71.4% (2020-2024)
+58 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
1.0× (2015-2019) → 2.3× (2020-2024)
+130%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
19.6% (2015-2019) → 45.4% (2020-2024)
+26 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Some collegeImproving
38.8% (2016-2020) → 57.9% (2019-2023)
+19 pts3 yearsUS 66.9% → 67.8%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
9.5% (2015-2019) → 24.5% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Traffic deathsImproving
183.1 /100k (2015-2019) → 57.8 /100k (2020-2024)
−68%5 yearsUS 11.3 /100k → 12.3 /100k

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 County, Texas improved on 7 of 22 measures with a comparison and declined on 4. 10 moved within the margin of error and 1 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among counties: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved7

Bachelor's++15 points9.5% → 24.5%
Uninsured−6.5 points19.0% → 12.5%
Traffic deaths−68%183.1 /100k → 57.8 /100k
Household income+31%$66,790 → $87,739
Weekly wage+28%$923 → $1,179

Declined4

Rent / income+26 points19.6% → 45.4%
Inequality+0.0730.339 → 0.412
New businesses−28%12.3 /1k → 8.9 /1k
Students / teacher+1.3×11.8× → 13.1×

All 22 measures

Change of every measure of Sterling County, Texas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	7.2 /10k2020	7.4 /10k2025	+2.5%	Within the margin of error	44%
Average commute time	17.1 min2015-2019	24.4 min2020-2024	+7.3 min	Within the margin of error	2%
Average weekly wage	$9232020	$1,1792025	+28%	Improved	74%
Bachelor's degree or higher	9.5%2015-2019	24.5%2020-2024	+15 points	Improved	100%
Broadband subscriptions	85.6%2015-2019	91.0%2020-2024	+5.4 points	Within the margin of error	12%
Child poverty rate	12.9%2019	13.0%2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	24%
Distance to an airport	71 mi2020	71 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Effective property tax rate	0.94%2015-2019	0.89%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Grocery stores	7.2 /10k2020	7.4 /10k2025	+2.5%	Within the margin of error	64%
High school diploma or higher	89.4%2015-2019	84.0%2020-2024	−5.4 points	Within the margin of error	1%
Income adjusted for local prices	$65,2992019	$84,6662024	+30%	Improved	37%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3392015-2019	0.4122020-2024	+0.073	Declined	2%
Median household income	$66,7902019	$87,7392024	+31%	Improved	80%
New business applications	12.3 /1k2020	8.9 /1k2025	−28%	Declined	2%
Poverty rate	10.7%2019	10.8%2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	41%
Public libraries	7.7 /10k2019	7.3 /10k2024	−5.7%	Within the margin of error	22%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Rent as share of income	19.6%2015-2019	45.4%2020-2024	+26 points	Declined	0%
Students per teacher	11.8×2019	13.1×2024	+1.3×	Declined	6%
Traffic deaths	183.1 /100k2015-2019	57.8 /100k2020-2024	−68%	Improved	98%
Unemployment rate	5.7%2020	3.6%2025	−2.1 points	Improved	38%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	19.0%2019	12.5%2024	−6.5 points	Improved	98%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 3114 counties that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Small Area Health Insurance Estimates; Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates; Public Libraries Survey; Common Core of Data; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 3144 counties 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.

Counties like Sterling County, Texas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Sterling County, Texas 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 County, Texas itself moved −7.8 points in standing on average over the same 28 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

1,468 residents (±172)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

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

Household income

399 households (±66)

Sterling County, Texas
Texas share

Under $25k8.3%†33
$25k–50k22%†86
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

399 households (±66)

Sterling County, Texas
Texas share

Own78%310
Rent22%†89

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

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

548 workers (±97)

Sterling County, Texas
Texas share

Drive alone80%439
Carpool12%†64
Public transit0.0%0

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.

Sterling County has 39 employer establishments, 284 for every 10,000 residents (1.14× the US rate of 248; 1.30× Texas's), with 232 paid employees at an average annual pay of $75,267. The Census Bureau also counts 132 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 39; 132 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 284; US 248 · Texas 218
Paid employees: 232
Average annual pay: $75,267; US $68,342

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

Religious organizations	4	29.1	5.25×Too few to compare	5	$37,200	—
Management, scientific and technical consulting	3	21.8	3.25×Too few to compare	4	$10,750	5
Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Advertising, public relations and related services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Ambulatory health care services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Architectural, engineering and related services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Auto parts, accessories and tire stores	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Banks and credit unions	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Barber shops	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Beauty salons	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 1,374 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 contract spending

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $11.4M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Sterling County, Texas: $8,464 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $11.4M; −12% vs FY2025
Per resident: $8,464; US $12,955
Loan face value: $0; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 44%; counted, never named

Top programs

10.912 · Environmental Quality Incentives Program$4.2M37%
96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$4M35%

Public money & outcomes

Federal money per resident by fiscal year next to how the place changed, and, when its money jumped, how it compares with similar counties. A comparison, not cause and effect.

How Sterling County, Texas compares: the federal money it received per resident, and how jobs, income, housing and other outcomes moved, each next to the United States.

Money per resident

By federal fiscal year (October to September, named by the year it ends), obligations per resident. A year with no record counts as $0.

Sterling County, Texas
United States
partial year

Contracts and grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Sterling County, Texas and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Sterling County, Texas	United States
FY2021	$1,811	$5,748
FY2022	-$13.95	$5,221
FY2023	$1,797	$5,364
FY2024	$632	$5,501
FY2025	$75.90	$5,732
FY2026	$170 (partial year)	$5,446

Transportation grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Sterling County, Texas and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Sterling County, Texas	United States
FY2021	$1,788	$298
FY2022	-$37.06	$357
FY2023	$1,593	$301
FY2024	$604	$319
FY2025	$48.97	$360
FY2026	$144

HHS grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Sterling County, Texas and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Sterling County, Texas	United States
FY2021	$0	$2,304
FY2022	$0	$2,197
FY2023	$176	$2,274
FY2024	$0	$2,267
FY2025	$0	$2,397
FY2026	$0

SBA lending volumeUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Sterling County, Texas and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Sterling County, Texas	United States
FY2021	$1,790	$1,186
FY2022	$113	$465
FY2023	-$116	$76.52
FY2024	$0	$120
FY2025	$0	$148
FY2026	$0

Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)

How outcomes moved

Calendar years. Charts share the same years as the money above. Levels are shown as percent change since 2016; rates are shown as the rate itself.

Sterling County, Texas
United States
Years with money loaded

Job growthpercent

Table view

Job growth, Sterling County, Texas and the United States, by year
Calendar years	Sterling County, Texas	United States
2014	9.0%	2.0%
2015

When its money jumped

A county-year with at least 10,000 residents whose money per resident is at least twice its earlier average counts as a jump. Each is compared with up to five similar counties in the same region whose money did not jump.

Counties under 10,000 residents are not assessed: their money per resident swings too much from year to year.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Business Formation Statistics, Building Permits Survey, Cartographic Boundary Files, Gazetteer and metro delineations, Population Estimates Program, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission), Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System), Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordability. JSON · /api/v1/outcomes/places/48431

See all comparisons

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 County, Texas is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

August PflugerR-TX-11 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 1.3%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

Cities and towns in Sterling County

Places whose residents live mostly in Sterling County, largest first.

Sterling City1,256

Neighboring counties

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar counties

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
National Risk IndexFederal Emergency Management Agency · release v1.20.0
Health Professional Shortage AreasHealth Resources and Services Administration · release 2026-10-03
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
Common Core of DataNational Center for Education Statistics · release 2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/48431

Calendar years	Sterling County, Texas	United States
2014	+1.5%	−4.2%
2015	+5.2%	−1.3%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+8.5%	+3.3%
2018	+8.0%	+6.8%
2019	+8.5%	+10.5%
2020	+15.2%	+19.4%
2021	+2.7%	+26.1%
2022	+5.2%	+30.6%
2023	+19.4%	+35.0%
2024	+45.8%	+41.0%
2025	+47.2%	+46.8%

Calendar years	Sterling County, Texas	United States
2014	+35.1%	−5.5%
2015	+6.5%	−1.9%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+9.1%	+4.1%
2018	+17.8%	+8.9%
2019	+15.4%	+13.5%
2020	+15.7%	+20.8%
2021	+25.3%	+32.1%
2022	+31.6%	+35.4%
2023	+44.0%	+42.9%
2024	+46.3%	+49.5%

Calendar years	Sterling County, Texas	United States
2014	−1.2%	−6.9%
2015	+3.6%	−3.2%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	−8.1%	+4.7%
2018	−2.5%	+7.5%
2019	+10.3%	+14.0%
2020	+13.0%	+16.9%
2021	+14.3%	+21.0%
2022	+25.3%	+29.7%
2023	+33.5%	+34.9%
2024	+44.8%	+41.6%

Calendar years	Sterling County, Texas	United States
2014	11.8%	15.5%
2015	11.6%	14.7%
2016	12.7%	14.0%
2017	12.2%	13.4%
2018	12.6%	13.1%
2019	10.7%	12.3%
2020	10.2%	11.9%
2021	11.8%	12.8%
2022	12.1%	12.6%
2023	11.5%	12.5%
2024	10.8%	12.1%

Calendar years	Sterling County, Texas	United States
2014	19.4/1k	8.5/1k
2015	1.5/1k	8.7/1k
2016	12.7/1k	9.1/1k
2017	18.7/1k	9.8/1k
2018	13.0/1k	10.7/1k
2019	18.5/1k	10.6/1k
2020	12.3/1k	13.1/1k
2021	10.9/1k	16.2/1k
2022	14.9/1k	15.1/1k
2023	2.2/1k	16.2/1k
2024	5.1/1k	15.4/1k
2025	8.9/1k	16.6/1k

Calendar years	Sterling County, Texas	United States
2014	3.0%	6.2%
2015	3.5%	5.3%
2016	3.5%	4.9%
2017	3.2%	4.4%
2018	3.0%	3.9%
2019	2.8%	3.7%
2020	5.7%	8.1%
2021	4.5%	5.4%
2022	3.6%	3.7%
2023	3.6%	3.6%
2024	3.2%	4.0%
2025	3.6%	4.3%

Calendar years	Sterling County, Texas	United States
2014	—	−10.8% (Dec 2014)
2015	—	−5.2% (Dec 2015)
2016	—	0.0% (Dec 2016)
2017	—	+6.4% (Dec 2017)
2018	—	+12.6% (Dec 2018)
2019	—	+18.1% (Dec 2019)
2020	—	+29.3% (Dec 2020)
2021	—	+49.8% (Dec 2021)
2022	— (Dec 2022)	+64.7% (Dec 2022)
2023	— (Dec 2023)	+69.0% (Dec 2023)
2024	— (Dec 2024)	+73.4% (Dec 2024)
2025	— (Dec 2025)	+73.7% (Dec 2025)

Calendar years	Sterling County, Texas	United States
2014	19.4%	13.5%
2015	20.8%	10.9%
2016	19.0%	10.0%
2017	22.3%	10.2%
2018	18.2%	10.4%
2019	19.0%	10.8%
2020	21.3%	10.4%
2021	21.5%	10.2%
2022	14.2%	9.5%
2023	16.0%	9.5%
2024	12.5%	9.8%

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends