Living in Sterling, KS
Sterling is a small town of 2,411 people in Rice County, Kansas. It's about 59 miles from Wichita, KS and 192 miles from Tulsa, OK, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 93°F and winter highs 42°F, with about 9 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $133k and rent runs about $689 a month.
2,411people
$133kTypical home
$689/moRent
93° / 42°Summer / winter
9"Snow
274Sunny days
75Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Small town of 2,411
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 1,293 people per sq mi
- 192 mi to Tulsa, OK
- 59 mi to Wichita, KS
- 19 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $133k (≈$839/mo)
- Median rent $689/mo
- Median household income $55k
- Property tax about 1.3% of value
- 3.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 93°F
- Winter highs around 42°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 63°F)
- 274 sunny days a year (116 totally clear)
- 91 cloudy days a year
- 29 of 90 winter days are gray
- 75 days a year with rain or snow
- 9" of snow a year
- 4 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- 13 days a year over 100°F
- 13 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Very low violent crime (175 per 100k)
- Low property crime (925 per 100k)
People
- Median age 29
- 35% of households have kids
- 18% are 65 or older
- 37% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 20% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 20 min
- 11% walk or take transit to work
- 50 mi to SLN airport
- 189 mi to TUL (major hub)
- 18 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 89% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1955
- 93% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,657 ft
- 612 mi to the ocean
- 251 mi to a big lake
- 17 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 195 mi to the nearest ski area
- 7 mi to the nearest campground
- 6 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 53 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- Few or no bars within 25 mi
- 12 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 7 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 18 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 8% of Kansas districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 11 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 34 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 18 mi to the nearest vet
- 20 mi to the nearest dog park
- 17 congregations per 10k people
- 39 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Rice County: R+57 in 2024
- Kansas: R+16 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Low flood risk
- Moderate drought risk
- Moderate winter storm risk
- Moderate heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk