CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

31.26° N · 81.55° W · GEOID 1373452

Sterling

Glynn County, Georgia · part of the Brunswick, GA metro

Limited data population under 5,000

GeorgiaSterling, GASterlingSterling

The short answer

Sterling is home to 2,091 people. Median household income is $86,103 a year and median rent is $919 a month, 12.8% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $69,200, about 0.8x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$919
33% below the median place
Median household income
$86,103
7% above the median place
Median home value
$69,200
78% below the median place
Unemployment
3.7%
24% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Sterling

  • Between the 2020 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 18.8% a year while rent rose 3.5%, so pay gained on rent more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 166 Georgia places.
  • The median home is worth 0.8 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 166 Georgia places.
  • The median rent takes only 12.8% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 93% of places its size.
  • 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a smaller share than in 87% of places its size.
  • The median resident is 34.8 years old, younger than in 81% of places its size.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 84 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to Sterling

Glynn County gains about 7.5 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in4,707
Moved out4,218
Net+489

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

McIntosh County, GA187264−77
Camden County, GA140259−119
Brantley County, GA161229−68
Wayne County, GA112140−28

Within Georgia, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within GeorgiaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$88K
Leavers$68K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Glynn County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
6.2% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 3.1% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Glynn County report $88,100 a year in income on average; those leaving, $68,400, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$36,800 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $919 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,169 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $69,200.
Getting to work
20 minutes each way on average; 8.8% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
West York, PA matches it on character. Compare the two
Net movers per 1,000 people7
7.5
above the median place (median -0.6)
Moved from another state1
3.1%
59% above the median place
Income of households moving in7
$88,058
25% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureSterlingAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure6.2%8% above
Moved from another state1County figure3.1%59% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure7.5above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$88,05825% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$68,4473% below
02

What it costs to live here

Home price to income is 0.8x, 79% below the median place.

Sterling12.8%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$36,760
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
12.8%
37% below the median place
Home price to income
0.8x
79% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
13%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$79,600
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Sterling, $919 a month, and local prices for everything else (94.1 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Sterling.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Sterling? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Median home value1
$69,200
78% below the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$547
83% below the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$1,169
38% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureSterlingAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$91933% below
Rent to income112.8%37% below
Property tax rate10.8%13% below
Home price to income10.8x79% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure87.713% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,37815% below
HUD area median income4County figure$92,10014% below
Property tax paid (median)1$54783% below
Median home value1$69,20078% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure4.0%24% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure64.8%26% above
Homeownership160.8%9% below
Renters paying 30%+1County figure46.7%8% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,16938% below
Vacant homes1County figure18.3%159% above
Median year built119911% above
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Income per person1
$27,972
30% below the median place
Poverty rate1
15.4%
43% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureSterlingAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$86,1037% above
Income per person1$27,97230% below
Unemployment1County figure3.7%24% below
Average annual pay6County figure$56,48514% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.6%24% above
Jobs6County figure43,23871% below
Poverty rate115.4%43% above
Mean commute1County figure20 min20% below
Works from home1County figure8.8%30% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

No health insurance is 20.9%, 227% above the median place.

No health insurance1
20.9%
227% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
14.9%
53% below the median place
Median age1
34.8
11% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Household size2.8 +12%
High school or higher93.3% +1%
Homes with broadband92.3% +0%
All 8 people measures
MeasureSterlingAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population12,0916646th largest
Median age134.811% below
Bachelor's or higher114.9%53% below
High school or higher193.3%1% above
Household size12.812% above
Born abroad1County figure6.4%27% below
No health insurance120.9%227% above
Homes with broadband192.3%0% above
05

Life in Sterling

21 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, one of them a National Historic Landmark.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents19.1 +88%
Playgrounds per 10k19.1 2.0×
Grocery stores per 10k4.8 2.3×
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −85%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars31.2 +50%
Shops53.1 +75%
Arts, recreation and fitness5.6 +37%
Doctors' offices and clinics26.9 +33%
Child care centers1.9 −17%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Shops per 10k8
53.1
75% above the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k8
31.2
50% above the median place
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8
26.9
33% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureSterlingAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure18100% above
Public school students11County figure13,911184% above
Students per teacher11County figure13.910% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure31.250% above
Shops per 10k8County figure53.175% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure5.637% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure26.933% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.917% below
Parks per 10k919.188% above
Playgrounds per 10k919.1103% above
Grocery stores per 10k94.8125% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k90.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.385% below
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure2162% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

January average low is 41°F, 63% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Sterling. Larger places are fetched first.

January average low12
41°F
63% above the median place
Average temperature12
68°F
24% above the median place
July average high12
92°F
6% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureSterlingAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure92°F6% above
January average low12County figure41°F63% above
Average temperature12County figure68°F24% above
Annual precipitation12County figure49.3 in13% above
Natural hazard risk13County figure83.79% below
Hurricane risk13County figure95.936% above
Tornado risk13County figure43.147% below
Wildfire risk13County figure92.150% above
Heat wave risk13County figure81.110% below
Median air quality index14County figure415% below
Good air days14County figure74.3%8% above
08

Sterling in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 12% of the median income in 2030, down from 13% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$919/mo (2024)$1,170/mo$960 to $1,420/mo+4.1%
Median household income$86,103 (2024)$115,000$97,000 to $136,000+4.9%
Median home value$69,200 (2022)$101,000$70,000 to $147,000+4.9%

The median home would be worth 0.9 years of the median income in 2030, against 0.8 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Sterling

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
West York, PA$971$80,995Compare
St. Marys, OH$848$79,516Compare
Fort Stockton, TX$974$84,784Compare
Muleshoe, TX$938$69,097Compare
Muleshoe, TXFort Stockton, TXSt. Marys, OHWest York, PASterling, GASterlingWest YorkSt. MarysFort StocktonMuleshoeSterlingWest YorkSt. MarysFort StocktonMuleshoe

Common questions

Is Sterling a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Between the 2020 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 18.8% a year while rent rose 3.5%, so pay gained on rent more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 166 Georgia places. The median home is worth 0.8 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 166 Georgia places. On cost, space and class size it scores 85 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Sterling expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 12.8% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $69,200.

What salary do you need to live in Sterling?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $36,760 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Sterling?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are West York, PA, St. Marys, OH, Fort Stockton, TX and Muleshoe, TX.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Sterling with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Sterling itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/sterling-georgia

Citytistics. “Sterling, Georgia.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/sterling-georgia/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.