Living in Sterling

In Sterling (Alaska), unemployment is 5% (2024).

Sterling's population was 5,918 at the end of 2020. The city faced an unemployment rate of 4.95% at the end of 2024. Sterling had a foreign population of 215 at the end of 2024.

Last checked 2026-10-0715 sources

Population5,918people31 Dec 2020Official source · U.S. Census Bureau, TIGERweb Census 2020

Median gross salary4,637EUR/month31 Dec 2020Official source · 2024 American Community Survey 5-year detailed tables

Median rent1,153EUR/month31 Dec 2020Official source · ACS 2020-2024 5-year table-based Summary File, table B25064 (Median Gross Rent), place records

Unemployment rate4.95%country median 4.6% — 8% aboveOfficial source · Census Reporter (underlying U.S. Census ACS)

Which United States-wide rules apply when you move to Sterling?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in United StatesNational rates and thresholds that apply in Sterling.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€60

Mobile plan, 10 GB€22

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	60.38 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Verizon 300 Mbps home internet¹²Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	21.57 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Visible unlimited mobile plan¹³Official · national market
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	1,287 EUR/month	31 Dec 2020	ACS 2020-2024 5-year table-based Summary File, tables B25065 (Aggregate Gross Rent) and B25063 (Gross Rent, units with cash rent)³Official
Median monthly rent	1,153 EUR/month	31 Dec 2020	ACS 2020-2024 5-year table-based Summary File, table B25064 (Median Gross Rent), place records²Official

Is Sterling a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker38%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 28–48%

Skilled employee63%strong on work, weak on safety · range 54–72%

Student41%strong on cost, weak on safety · range 30–52%

Family55%strong on family, weak on safety · range 44–66%

Retirement37%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 24–50%

Worked out from these numbers

How international is the population?

3.6% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 215 of 5,918 people. This counts nationality, not place of birth, so long-settled residents who naturalised are not in it.

Work and income

Unemployment across cities in United StatesUnemployment in Sterling is 5.0%. Of 2,153 cities with data, 1,250 have unemployment of 0 to under 5%.

1,250

778

0–55–1010–1515–2020–2525–30

Sterling 5.0%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median gross salary	4,637 EUR/month	31 Dec 2020	2024 American Community Survey 5-year detailed tables¹Official
Unemployment rate	4.95 %country median 4.6%	31 Dec 2024	Census Reporter (underlying U.S. Census ACS)⁵Official

What does a salary buy in Sterling?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

Left over each month€2,220of €3,589 take-home

Rent
Internet
Mobile
Left over

Line-by-line breakdown and sources

Each month	€
Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions; euro amounts at the ECB average for 2026-08.	€3,589
Rentaverage rent of a whole dwelling · official · ACS 2020-2024 5-year table-based Summary File, tables B25065 (Aggregate Gross Rent) and B25063 (Gross Rent, units with cash rent) · 2020-12-31	− €1,287
Internet€60 · official · Verizon 300 Mbps home internet · 2026-09-30	− €60
Mobile plan€22 · official · Visible unlimited mobile plan · 2026-09-30	− €22
Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities	—
Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish	€2,220

Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Sterling Salary needed to live in Sterling

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Sterling. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

American Job Centers — Public employment service

U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration

Job Search

Open official service

Open the United States service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Sterling. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Healthcare

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Physicians per 100,000 residents	202.4 per 100,000	31 Dec 2023	Area Health Resources Files (AHRF), County 2024-2025 release⁴Official · county

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Sterling when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Mobility and administration

Sterling's nearest airport was ENA, 27 km away and offered 1 direct destinations.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport	1 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights⁷Official
Distance to the nearest major airport	27 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁸Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	ENA	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁸Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Sterling. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Adult Education and English Language Acquisition (AEFLA) — State Language Course

U.S. Department of Education

For adult learners, adult English-language learners.

EnglishIn Person, Online, HybridCost varies

Open official information

USCIS English and citizenship class finder — Civic Orientation

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

For immigrants, future citizens.

EnglishIn Person, OnlineCost varies

Open official information

Open the full United States section

National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Sterling.

Find courses near Sterling

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperature moved from −10.6°C in January to 12.9°C in July. Monthly precipitation was 36.1 mm in January and 51.6 mm in July.

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C

0°

-6°-15°

-2°-13°

1°-11°

8°-4°

13°0°

17°5°

19°7°

18°6°

13°3°

6°-4°

-2°-11°

-5°-13°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

100

JFMAMJJASOND

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Average daytime high by month	Jan -6 · Feb -2.06 · Mar 1.44 · Apr 7.72 · May 13.39 · Jun 16.83 · Jul 18.61 · Aug 17.61 · Sep 12.89 · Oct 5.78 · Nov -2.17 · Dec -4.83 °C	31 Dec 1991	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information⁶Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan -15.11 · Feb -12.56 · Mar -11.39 · Apr -4.22 · May 0.167 · Jun 4.61 · Jul 7.22 · Aug 5.89 · Sep 2.56 · Oct -3.61 · Nov -11.11 · Dec -13.28 °C	31 Dec 1991	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information⁶Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan -10.56 · Feb -7.33 · Mar -4.94 · Apr 1.78 · May 6.78 · Jun 10.72 · Jul 12.94 · Aug 11.78 · Sep 7.72 · Oct 1.11 · Nov -6.61 · Dec -9.06 °C	31 Dec 1991	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information⁶Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 36.07 · Feb 33.02 · Mar 18.8 · Apr 21.08 · May 21.59 · Jun 33.53 · Jul 51.56 · Aug 75.95 · Sep 100.3 · Oct 69.6 · Nov 44.7 · Dec 41.91 mm	31 Dec 1991	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information⁶Official · nearest-station reading

Similar climate. In United States: Fargo ±5.4 °C. Elsewhere: Oulu (Finland) ±2.7 °C, Jyväskylä (Finland) ±2.8 °C, Kuopio (Finland) ±3.3 °C, Jönköping (Sweden) ±5.1 °C, Lahti (Finland) ±3.7 °C. Twenty closest, compared month by month

Monthly highs and lows against the 1991–2020 station normals of the nearest station; ± is the average monthly difference.

Population and city profile

The city covered 200.8 km² at the end of 2025. The city recorded a population density of 31.5 people per km² at the end of 2024.

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport96.4%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	200.8 km²	31 Dec 2025	U.S. Census Bureau (TIGERweb ArcGIS REST service)⁹Official
Foreign-resident share	3.4 %	31 Dec 2024	Census Reporter (underlying U.S. Census ACS)⁵Official
Foreign residents	215 people	31 Dec 2024	Census Reporter (underlying U.S. Census ACS)⁵Official
Population density	31.49 people/km²	31 Dec 2024	Census Reporter (underlying U.S. Census ACS)⁵Official
Population	5,918 people	31 Dec 2020	U.S. Census Bureau, TIGERweb Census 2020¹¹Official

Alternatives for people set on Sterling

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

North Bethesda as a Sterling alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 5451 km, better on 3 of 4 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0.

Foreign residents: 34.1% North Bethesda vs 3.4% Sterling+903%
Residents: 50,094 North Bethesda vs 5,918 Sterling+746%
Median gross pay, city: €6,119 North Bethesda vs €4,637 Sterling+32%
Unemployment: 3.6% North Bethesda vs 5.0% Sterling−27%

Full comparison More about North Bethesda

Cities near Sterling

Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.

Kalifornsky 23.0 km away

Rent: 1,288 EUR/monthMedian monthly rent · 2020-12-31
Salary: 3,807 EUR/monthMedian gross salary · 2020-12-31

Alternative cities in United States

Other cities in United States to compare with Sterling, nearest in population first.

All United States cities

Lafayette5,919 residents Luling5,920 residents Louisville5,921 residents Holdenville5,923 residents Manasquan5,925 residents Combee Settlement5,911 residents

How does Sterling compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Sterling's.

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Put Sterling's key facts on your site — a card with this page's figures and a link back, free under CC BY 4.0.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

What is the unemployment rate in Sterling?

The unemployment rate is 4.95 %. Source: Census Reporter (underlying U.S. Census ACS).

How many people live in Sterling?

The published population is 5,918 people. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, TIGERweb Census 2020.

How many foreign residents live in Sterling?

215 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Census Reporter (underlying U.S. Census ACS).

Is Sterling a good place to live?

Sterling may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Which cities are near Sterling?

Kalifornsky is near Sterling. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Sterling (Alaska), United States: population, rent, salary [ImmigrationDB compilation; version c568eba1c071073e3c0c169103927bae]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/us/sterling-ak-122/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_sterling-alaska-united-states-population-rent-salary_b49349f6639c,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Sterling (Alaska), United States: population, rent, salary},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {c568eba1c071073e3c0c169103927bae},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/us/sterling-ak-122/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Sterling (Alaska), United States: population, rent, salary](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/us/sterling-ak-122/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version c568eba1c071073e3c0c169103927bae; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

2024 American Community Survey 5-year detailed tables api.census.gov · checked 2026-10-04
ACS 2020-2024 5-year table-based Summary File, table B25064 (Median Gross Rent), place records www2.census.gov · checked 2026-09-18
ACS 2020-2024 5-year table-based Summary File, tables B25065 (Aggregate Gross Rent) and B25063 (Gross Rent, units with cash rent) www2.census.gov · checked 2026-09-19
Area Health Resources Files (AHRF), County 2024-2025 release data.hrsa.gov · checked 2026-10-04
Census Reporter (underlying U.S. Census ACS) api.censusreporter.org · checked 2026-08-03
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
U.S. Census Bureau (TIGERweb ArcGIS REST service) tigerweb.geo.census.gov · checked 2026-08-03
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey api.census.gov · checked 2026-08-07

Show 5 more sources

U.S. Census Bureau, TIGERweb Census 2020 tigerweb.geo.census.gov · checked 2026-08-05
Verizon 300 Mbps home internet verizon.com · checked 2026-09-15
Visible unlimited mobile plan visible.com · checked 2026-09-15
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06

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