City safety & data profile

SterlingVA

Sterling, VA is a 28K-resident city in Loudoun County with a median household income of $123,303.

Loudoun County, Virginia. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Sterling, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Sterling has a population larger than 60% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, and a median home value of $526,000.

Data updated 2026-07-19

28K
Population
Top 40%
By size
$123,303
Median income
$526,000
Median home
8%
Poverty rate

The read on Sterling

Sterling posts a median household income higher than 84% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks.

Top 16%
by median income, US cities

Where Sterling income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$123,303 Top 16% higher than 84% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). Below this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Below this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). This entry sits in this band. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. VA $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Sterling, VA beyond the headline numbers

Sterling sits inside Loudoun County, Virginia, at roughly 39.01°N, -77.43°W. Population 27,822, $123,303 median household income. Median home value $526,000, median rent $2,138. Poverty rate 8%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Sterling's highest-prevalence health measure is short sleep duration at 33.2%, then obesity at 32.4%.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Sterling from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
27,822
Sterling
Median Income
$123,303
+81% vs avg
Median Home Value
$526,000
+131% vs avg
Median Age
35.3
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Loudoun County) - Sterling's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
433K+33%
Median Income
$181,765+49%
Median Home Value
$743,800+70%
Poverty Rate
4.2%+17%
Unemployment
3.3%-27%

Economics

Economics indicators for Sterling, VA
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$2,138/mo
Poverty Rate
8% -44% vs avg
Unemployment 3.7%
Bachelor's Degree+ 35.4%
Work From Home 15.7%
Public Transit 1%

Population

White 29.8%
African American 7.4%
Asian 15.1%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Short Sleep Duration
33.2%
Obesity
32.4%
High Blood Pressure
30.5%
Physical Inactivity
26.3%
Lack of Health Insurance
15.6%
Frequent Mental Distress
15.1%
Binge Drinking
13.9%
Frequent Physical Distress
12.6%
Diabetes
11.4%
Current Smoking
11.3%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 66.2%
Annual Checkup 76.3%

Other Measures

Current Asthma
9.3%
Coronary Heart Disease
4.8%
Stroke
2.6%

Frequently Asked Questions 5

What is the population of Sterling, VA? ▼
Sterling, VA has a population of 27,822 people, located in Loudoun County, Virginia.
What is the median household income in Sterling? ▼
The median household income in Sterling, VA is $123,303 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 8%.
What is the median home value in Sterling? ▼
The median home value in Sterling, VA is $526,000. Median rent is $2,138/month.
What are the top health concerns in Sterling? ▼
The top health indicators in Sterling include Short Sleep Duration (33.2%), Obesity (32.4%), High Blood Pressure (30.5%). Data from CDC PLACES.
What is the median age in Sterling? ▼
The median age in Sterling, VA is 35.3 years. 35.4% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Sterling, VA is located in Loudoun County, Virginia. With a population of 28K and a $123,303 median household income, the community faces health challenges including short sleep duration and obesity. Safety alerts for the Sterling area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - Virginia

Real-time AQI for every monitored Virginia location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

Countryside, VA 10K Herndon, VA 25K Sugarland Run, VA 12K Ashburn, VA 44K Dranesville, VA 12K Oak Hill, VA 34K Broadlands, VA 12K Lowes Island, VA 11K
All cities in Virginia → Compare Sterling vs Countryside → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Sterling's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Sterling area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Sterling against Virginia peers on any ranking lens. Explore Virginia

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Loudoun County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.