Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 57/100
C−
Median home value$274,300
Detroit $249,700
Median rent$1,292/mo
Detroit $1,207/mo
Cost-burdened households31%
Detroit 29%
Sterling Heights
Macomb County133,573 residents2 school districts
63
C+
Suburbgrade score
18th of 54 Detroit suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by employment & income.
63
Detroit median 58
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Sterling Heights yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 63 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Sterling Heights is like to live in, by category
Bars show Sterling Heights against Detroit. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 68/100
B−
Within-state proficiency69th pct
Detroit median 46th pct
Student–teacher ratio17.6
Detroit median 16.8
Graduation rate92%
Detroit median 87%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 75/100
B
Housing cost index100
Detroit 100
Eff. tax rate1.22%
Detroit 1.27%
Local sales tax6.00%
Detroit median 6.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 62/100
C
Mean commute24.7 min
Detroit 26.0 min
Under 30 minutes65%
Detroit 61%
Transit stops / sq mi2.5
Detroit median 7.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 70/100
B−
Restaurants & cafés50
Detroit median 59 · within 2 miles
Groceries4
Detroit median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks87
Detroit median 61 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 46/100
D
Median household income$79,909
Detroit $76,664
Unemployment6.1%
Detroit 6.4%
Professional occupations40%
Detroit 43%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Sterling Heights yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Sterling Heights on employment & income
Sterling Heights's weakest grade is D. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbEmploymentOverall
Beverly Hills11 mi from Sterling HeightsA 80 B+ Berkley10 mi from Sterling HeightsA− 78 B+ Grosse Pointe Park15 mi from Sterling HeightsB+ 69 B− Rochester9 mi from Sterling HeightsB 72 B− Birmingham10 mi from Sterling HeightsB 77 B Royal Oak8 mi from Sterling HeightsB 76 B Median household income: ACS 2020–24 · Unemployment: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Sterling Heights
Is Sterling Heights, MI a good place to live?
Sterling Heights scores 63 out of 100, 18th of 54 Detroit suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on employment & income. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Sterling Heights expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $274,300, 10% above the Detroit median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.22%. $1,292/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Sterling Heights?
Schools grade B−. The districts serving Sterling Heights sit at the 69th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 92% graduation rate and a 17.6 student–teacher ratio. Sterling Heights is served by Utica Community Schools and Warren Consolidated Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Sterling Heights?
The mean commute is 24.7 min, with 65% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 16% working from home. Transit density is 2.5 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Sterling Heights?
Within two miles there are 4 groceries, 50 restaurants and cafés and 87 parks, which grades B− on amenities.
Are the homes in Sterling Heights old or new?
The median home in Sterling Heights was built in 1977 — newer than the Detroit median of 1968. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 76% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.