HomeIllinoisWhiteside CountySterling
Sterling, Illinois: commercial real estate data.
Sterling is a Census city of 14,717 people across 5.95 square miles of land, in Whiteside County. Median household income is $57,350, 65.1 percent of occupied homes are owned, and the SBA record carries 3 7(a) approvals to borrowers here worth $1.2 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Sterling
What Sterling is
- Census place typecity
- Land area5.95 sq mi
- Water area0.22 sq mi
- Population per square mile of land2,475
- County holding the largest share of its areaWhiteside County, 100.0 percent
US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Sterling
How many people live in Sterling
- Population14,717
- Median age42.6
- Population under 183,008
- Share under 1820.4 percent
- Population 65 and over3,219
- Share 65 and over21.9 percent
- Households6,579
- Family households3,723
- Share of households that are families56.6 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Sterling
Income and work in Sterling
- Median household income$57,350
- Per capita income$36,040
- Civilian labor force7,546
- Employed7,260
- Unemployed286 plus or minus 124
- Unemployment rate3.8 percent plus or minus 1.6
- Adults 25 and over10,263
- Adults 25 and over with a high school diploma or higher92.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher21.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree9.1 percent plus or minus 1.9
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Sterling
Housing in Sterling
- Housing units7,393
- Occupied units6,579
- Vacant units814 plus or minus 224
- Vacancy rate11.0 percent plus or minus 3.0
- Owner occupied4,281
- Renter occupied2,298
- Ownership rate65.1 percent
- Median owner-occupied home value$108,700
- Median gross rent, monthly$859
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.0 percent
- Single family units5,352
- Share single family72.4 percent
- Units in buildings of two or more1,990
- Share in buildings of two or more26.9 percent
- Mobile homes0
- Median year structure built1957
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Sterling
How Sterling gets to work
- Workers 16 and over who commute6,695
- Commuting under 15 minutes3,851
- Share commuting under 15 minutes57.5 percent
- Commuting 30 minutes or more1,132 plus or minus 241
- Share commuting 30 minutes or more16.9 percent
- Drove alone78.6 percent
- Carpooled8.1 percent plus or minus 2.2
- Public transport0.3 percent plus or minus 0.5
- Walked4.6 percent plus or minus 2.3
- Worked from home5.8 percent plus or minus 1.7
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Sterling
SBA loans in Sterling (7(a))
- Approvals3
- Gross approval$1,206,000
- Average approval$402,000
- Median approval$273,000
- Largest approval$883,000
- Jobs supported42
- Jobs per approval14.0
- Loans with a final outcome0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Median term240 months
- Share on real estate terms of 20 years or more66.7 percent
- Share to franchises0.0 percent
- Distinct lenders3
- Distinct industries by NAICS3
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Sterling, in any county, FY2020 to FY2026. Only 0 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Sterling
SBA loans in Sterling (504)
- Approvals4
- Gross approval$2,017,000
- Average approval$504,250
- Median approval$326,500
- Largest approval$1,132,000
- Jobs supported206
- Loans with a final outcome0
- Charged off0
- Median term240 months
- Distinct CDCs2
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Sterling, in any county, FY2010 to FY2026. Only 0 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Sterling
Flood risk in Sterling
- NFIP communityCity of Sterling
- NFIP community number170693
- Participating in the NFIPYes
- Community Rating System classNone
- Currently effective map date02/18/11
The City of Sterling participates in the National Flood Insurance Program as community 170693 and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies to it.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Whiteside County, not Sterling
Whiteside County context, not Sterling figures
- Establishments in Whiteside County1,158
- Covered employment, Whiteside County21,197
- Average annual pay, Whiteside County$54,164
- Housing units permitted, Whiteside County25
Every figure in this section is published for Whiteside County as a whole and is not a measurement of Sterling.
All Whiteside County figures →
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages. US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Parcel detail, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Common questions
Sterling questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Sterling, Illinois?
14,717, in 6,579 households. Sterling city covers 5.95 square miles of land, which is 2,475 people per square mile. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
What county is Sterling in?
Whiteside County, which holds 100.0 percent of the place by area. Source: US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage.
What is the median household income in Sterling?
$57,350. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $108,700. Median gross rent is $859 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
How much SBA lending goes to Sterling businesses?
3 7(a) approvals totaling $1.2 m since FY2020, across 3 lenders, median approval $273,000, plus 4 504 approvals worth $2.0 m since FY2010. These count approvals to borrowers whose address is in Sterling, not projects sited inside the place boundary, and they are approvals recorded in the release rather than loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans to Sterling borrowers get paid back?
No rate is published for Sterling. Only 0 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published. The counts are shown instead.
Is Sterling in the National Flood Insurance Program?
Yes. Sterling appears in the FEMA Community Status Book as Sterling, city of, community 170693, with no Community Rating System class, so no CRS discount applies. Whether a specific parcel sits in a mapped special flood hazard area is an address level question the platform answers.
Are the county figures on this page Sterling figures?
No, and they are labeled so. County Business Patterns, QCEW, the Building Permits Survey, BEA product and IRS migration are published for Whiteside County as a whole and there is no place level equivalent. They appear in one clearly marked section as context and are never presented as measurements of Sterling.
Is zoning published for Sterling?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning.
Nearby