Cost of Living and Housing in Sterling Heights, Michigan

Sterling Heights has about 133,573 residents. Median gross rent is $1,292 per month and median household income is $79,909.

Comparison scope: “dataset median” below means the median among 1,211 cities across 10 states in this dataset. It is not presented as a nationwide Census median. The figures use 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates and may lag current listings.

Median Gross Rent $1,292/mo 22% below the dataset median

Median Home Value $274,300 27% below the dataset median

Median Household Income $79,909 5% below the dataset median

Owner-Occupied Homes 76% Share of occupied housing units

Rent-to-Income Baseline 19% Annual median rent ÷ household income

Home Value-to-Income 3.4x Median value ÷ household income

How Sterling Heights compares

Rent is 22% below the dataset median, while household income is 5% below the dataset median. Within Michigan, Sterling Heights ranks #41 from lowest to highest rent and #15 from highest to lowest household income among 59 cities in this dataset.

The rent-to-income figure compares two citywide medians. It is useful for broad comparison, but it is not an individual household budget or a measure of renter cost burden.

Similar-size cities in Michigan

Frequently asked questions

What is the median rent in Sterling Heights?

Median gross rent is $1,292 per month in the 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates.

What is the median home value in Sterling Heights?

The median value of owner-occupied homes is $274,300 in the 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates.

What is the median household income?

Median household income in Sterling Heights is $79,909 per year.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates. Local database refreshed 2026-07-11.