Sterling is a very small city located in the state of Kansas. With a population of 2,309 people and just one neighborhood, Sterling is the 155th largest community in Kansas. Much of the housing stock in Sterling was built prior to World War II, making it one of the older and more historic cities in the country.
Sterling is neither predominantly blue-collar nor white-collar, instead having a mixed workforce of both blue-collar and white-collar jobs. Overall, Sterling is a city of professionals, sales and office workers, and managers. There are especially a lot of people living in Sterling who work in office and administrative support (15.23%), management occupations (13.08%), and teaching (12.13%).
Of important note, Sterling is also a city of artists. Sterling has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Sterling’s character.
A relatively large number of people in Sterling telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 7.87% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.
Because of many things, Sterling is a great place for families with children to consider. First of all, many other families with children live here, making Sterling a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families, as well as find family-oriented services and community. The city’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic values. With regard to real estate, Sterling has a high rate of owner-occupied single family homes, which tends to reflect stability in the local community. Finally, Sterling’s overall crime rate is lower than average for the country.
As is often the case in a small city, Sterling doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.
The citizens of Sterling are very well educated compared to the average community in the nation: 39.82% of adults in Sterling have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree.
The per capita income in Sterling in 2022 was $30,174, which is lower middle income relative to Kansas and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $120,696 for a family of four. However, Sterling contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
Sterling is a somewhat ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Sterling home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Sterling residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Sterling include German, English, Irish, Dutch, and Scottish.
The most common language spoken in Sterling is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Polish.
The way a neighborhood looks and feels when you walk or drive around it, from its setting, its buildings, and its flavor, can make all the difference. This neighborhood has some really cool things about the way it looks and feels as revealed by NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research. This might include anything from the housing stock to the types of households living here to how people get around.
One of the really interesting characteristics about the neighborhood is that, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research, it is an excellent choice in which to reside for college students. Due to its popularity among college students who already choose to live here, its walkability, and its above average safety from crime, the neighborhood is ideal for prospective or already-enrolled college students. Between semesters and during school breaks, you'll notice that the excitement here fluctuates with the college seasons. Despite the excitement however, parents of college-age children can rest easy knowing that this neighborhood has an above average safety rating. For each of these reasons, the neighborhood is rated among the top 1.4% of college-friendly places to live in the state of Kansas. In addition to being an excellent choice for college students, this neighborhood is also a very good choice for active retirees and families with school-aged children.
In addition, neighborhoodScout's analysis shows that the neighborhood has a greater concentration of residents currently enrolled in college than 97.0% of the neighborhoods in the U.S. With 14.3% of the population here attending college, this is very much a college-focused neighborhood.
Uncrowded roads, rural America and space to be the individual you are. If you like these characteristics, this neighborhood may fit you. With just 10 residents per square mile, is less crowded than 97.1% of all U.S. neighborhoods.
How wealthy a neighborhood is, from very wealthy, to middle income, to low income is very formative with regard to the personality and character of a neighborhood. Equally important is the rate of people, particularly children, who live below the federal poverty line. In some wealthy gated communities, the areas immediately surrounding can have high rates of childhood poverty, which indicates other social issues. NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals both aspects of income and poverty for this neighborhood.
The neighbors in the neighborhood in Sterling are lower-middle income, making it a below average income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's research shows that this neighborhood has an income lower than 63.8% of U.S. neighborhoods. In addition, 5.6% of the children seventeen and under living in this neighborhood are living below the federal poverty line, which is a lower rate of childhood poverty than is found in 61.7% of America's neighborhoods.
The old saying "you are what you eat" is true. But it is also true that you are what you do for a living. The types of occupations your neighbors have shape their character, and together as a group, their collective occupations shape the culture of a place.
In the neighborhood, 40.3% of the working population is employed in executive, management, and professional occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is manufacturing and laborer occupations, with 22.8% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants (21.4%), and 14.1% in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations.
The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 97.5% of households.
Boston's Beacon Hill blue-blood streets, Brooklyn's Orthodox Jewish enclaves, Los Angeles' Persian neighborhoods. Each has its own culture derived primarily from the ancestries and culture of the residents who call these neighborhoods home. Likewise, each neighborhood in America has its own culture – some more unique than others – based on lifestyle, occupations, the types of households – and importantly – on the ethnicities and ancestries of the people who live in the neighborhood. Understanding where people came from, who their grandparents or great-grandparents were, can help you understand how a neighborhood is today.
In the neighborhood in Sterling, KS, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as German (31.3%). There are also a number of people of English ancestry (15.7%), and residents who report Irish roots (8.9%), and some of the residents are also of Italian ancestry (3.4%), along with some Dutch ancestry residents (2.9%), among others.
How you get to work – car, bus, train or other means – and how much of your day it takes to do so is a large quality of life and financial issue. Especially with gasoline prices rising and expected to continue doing so, the length and means of one's commute can be a financial burden. Some neighborhoods are physically located so that many residents have to drive in their own car, others are set up so many walk to work, or can take a train, bus, or bike. The greatest number of commuters in neighborhood spend under 15 minutes commuting one-way to work (54.1% of working residents), one of the shortest commutes across America.
Here most residents (74.1%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also hop out the door and walk to work to get to work (9.9%) and 6.6% of residents also carpool with coworkers, friends, or neighbors for their daily commute. In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.