Sterling, Virginia Population 2024

31,597

Sterling Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Sterling was:

  • White: 39.15%
  • Other race: 20.49%
  • Two or more races: 18.8%
  • Asian: 13.52%
  • Black or African American: 6.41%
  • Native American: 1.47%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.16%
Land Area (mi²)
5.5 sq mi
Density (mi²)
5,793.90/sq mi
Growth Since 2020
2.35% (725)
The current population of Sterling, Virginia is 31,597 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates (released May 2024). The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 30,872.

Population by Race

Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White12,23639.15%
Other race6,40420.49%
Two or more races5,87518.8%
Asian4,22613.52%
Black or African American2,0036.41%
Native American4581.47%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander490.16%

White

Other race

Two or more races

Asian

Black or African American

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Sterling Population by Race

Sterling Population Pyramid 2024

Sterling Median Age

34.8

Total

34.6

Male

35

Female

Sterling Adults

There are 23,608 adults, (3,184 of whom are seniors) in Sterling.

Sterling Age Dependency

53

Age Dependency Ratio

15.6

Old Age Dependency Ratio

37.4

Child Dependency Ratio

Sterling Sex Ratio

Female15,24348.78%
Male16,00851.22%

Sterling Population by Age

Sterling Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All9,6843.2275.324.7
Married5,5243.6678.221.8
Non Family2,3761.2571.828.2
Female1,0744.8474.225.8
Male7103.965.434.6

3.67

Average Family Size

3.22

Average Household Size

75.3%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Sterling Households and Families

Male

Female

Education Attained
Count
Percentage
9th to 12th Grade2,34311.36%
Associates Degree1,3446.51%
Bachelors Degree5,25025.44%
Graduate Degree2,45311.89%
High School Graduate4,08219.78%
Less Than 9th Grade1,9779.58%
Some College3,18415.43%

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Sterling Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Sterling Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

Race
Total
High School
Bachelors
Hispanic8,7545,0021,420
White7,0036,9063,753
Other Race3,6751,953337
2+ Races3,2661,852681
Asian2,9982,6801,765
Black1,5541,403550
Native American34419459
Islander383838

The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 100%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among islander people with a rate of 100%.

Sterling Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

Name
Average
Male
Female
Bachelors Degree$80,581$100,536$67,874
Graduate Degree$108,239$136,170$81,645
High School Graduate$41,893$46,241$36,556
Less Than 9th Grade$39,807$48,438$30,977
Overall$54,193$62,317$43,907
Some College$48,273$69,485$39,496

$54,193

Average Earnings

$62,317

Average Male

$43,907

Average Female

Sterling Earnings by Educational Attainment

Sterling Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Sterling Language

39.49% of Sterling residents speak only English, while 60.51% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 45.29% of the population.

Sterling Language

Sterling Poverty by Race

rate

Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
Hispanic15,4491,5309.9%
Other6,31386113.64%
Multiple5,8004978.57%
White8,7053253.73%
Asian4,2141643.89%
Black1,986522.62%

6.79%

Overall Poverty Rate

6.68%

Male Poverty Rate

6.9%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Sterling

The race most likely to be in poverty in Sterling is Other, with 13.64% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Sterling is Black, with 2.62% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.18%. Among those working part-time, it was 12.98%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 16.97%.

Sterling Poverty

rate

Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade9.3%
High School7.44%
Some College5.82%
Bachelors or Greater2.39%

Sterling Poverty Rate by Education

rate

Rate
Poverty
Male Unemployed54.58%
Female Unemployed15.38%
Male Employed4.21%
Female Employed2.72%

Sterling Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Sterling Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

Name
Median
Mean
Families$134,828$148,338
Households$125,753$145,774
Married Families$153,026$-999,999,999
Non Families$85,865$121,739

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Sterling Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

49.9%

Overall Marriage Rate

51.3%

Male Marriage Rate

48.4%

Female Marriage Rate

Sterling Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Sterling Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is 55-64, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35-44.

Sterling Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Sterling Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

1,177

Number of Veterans

1,081

Male Veterans

96

Female Veterans

War
Veterans
Second Gulf War461
Vietnam388
First Gulf War303
Korea37
World War II12

Sterling Veterans by War

count

Age Group
Veterans
35 to 54366
65 to 74239
55 to 64219
75+204
18 to 34149

Sterling Veterans by Age

count

Name
Veterans
% of Total
White7127.54%
Asian1554.55%
Hispanic1371.29%
Black1106.85%
Other Race891.9%
2+ Races772.01%
Native American205.04%
Islander1428.57%

Sterling Veterans by Race

Sterling Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

2.29%

Veteran Poverty Rate

15.63%

Veteran Disability Rate

Sterling Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

76%

Labor Force Participation

71.7%

Employment Rate

4.7%

Unemployment Rate

Sterling Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Sterling Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Sterling Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

32.34%

Born in Sterling

55.84%

Native Born

44.16%

Foreign Born

24.44%

Non Citizen

19.72%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

55.84% of Sterling residents were born in the United States, with 32.34% having been born in Virginia. 24.44% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Sterling Place of Birth

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change
Year
Population
Growth
Change
202431,5972690.86%
202331,3282700.87%
202231,058-144-0.46%
202131,2023301.07%
202030,8726011.99%
201930,271-132-0.43%
201830,403250.08%
201730,3787812.64%
201629,5977142.47%
201528,883-133-0.46%
201429,0162,0037.41%
201327,0138443.23%
201226,1695342.08%
201125,635-2,187-7.86%
201027,82200%

Sterling Population by Year