Population
Elgin
114,106
Sterling Heights
133,473
Median Income
Elgin
$88,316
Sterling Heights
$78,429
Home Value
Elgin
$252,400
Sterling Heights
$260,700
Rent
Elgin
$1,260
Sterling Heights
$1,267
Crime Rate
Elgin
2.67
Sterling Heights
2.31
Cost of Living
Elgin
135.5
Sterling Heights
122.4
Avg Temp
Elgin
N/A
Sterling Heights
N/A
Unemployment
Elgin
6.3%
Sterling Heights
6.2%
How Similar Are Elgin & Sterling Heights?
Sterling Heights is Elgin's #20 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Elgin
114,106
Sterling Heights
133,473
Sterling Heights has a 15% larger population than Elgin.
Violent Crime
Elgin
2.67
Sterling Heights
2.31
Elgin has a 13% higher violent crime than Sterling Heights.
Property Crime
Elgin
11.02
Sterling Heights
10.42
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 5% difference.
Political Leaning
Elgin
28.4%
Sterling Heights
55.9%
Elgin leans Democratic while Sterling Heights leans Republican.
Unemployment
Elgin
6.3%
Sterling Heights
6.2%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 2% difference.
Median Income
Elgin
$88,316
Sterling Heights
$78,429
Elgin has a 11% higher median income than Sterling Heights.
Home Values
Elgin
$252,400
Sterling Heights
$260,700
Both cities have similar home values — just a 3% difference.
Education
Elgin
16.9%
Sterling Heights
22.4%
Sterling Heights has a 25% higher education than Elgin.
Demographics
Elgin
45.4%
Sterling Heights
78.9%
Sterling Heights has a 43% higher demographics than Elgin.
Cost of Living
Elgin
135.5
Sterling Heights
122.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 10% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Elgin and Sterling Heights share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Elgin
0
Sterling Heights
Sterling Heights leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Sterling Heights leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDSterling Heights has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,122 vs $1,581 in Elgin (41% lower). Sterling Heights scores 106.9 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 135.0 in Elgin. Sterling Heights has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,411 vs $1,781 in Elgin (26% lower).
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Sterling Heights leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSterling Heights has a median property tax of $3,559 vs $6,115 in Elgin (72% lower). Elgin has a vacancy rate of 3.1% compared to 3.5% in Sterling Heights. Sterling Heights has a owner-occupied of 76.4% compared to 71.5% in Elgin.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Sterling Heights leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSterling Heights has a work from home of 13.8% compared to 11.6% in Elgin. Elgin has a median household income of $88,316 vs $78,429 in Sterling Heights (13% higher). Sterling Heights: 68,559 vs Elgin: 61,339 for labor force.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Sterling Heights leads
Source: FBI UCRSterling Heights has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.01 compared to 0.04 in Elgin. Sterling Heights has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 0.77 compared to 2.12 in Elgin. Sterling Heights has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.15 compared to 0.31 in Elgin.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Sterling Heights leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauSterling Heights has a bachelor's degree or higher of 22.4% compared to 16.9% in Elgin. Sterling Heights has a high school diploma or higher of 42.4% compared to 33.6% in Elgin.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSterling Heights has a population of 133,473, about 1.2x the size of Elgin (114,106). Elgin skews younger with a median age of 36.3 vs 41.5.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Elgin
Sterling Heights
Healthcare — Elgin leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareElgin: 3.7 vs Sterling Heights: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSElgin has a public transit of 1.8% compared to 0.5% in Sterling Heights. Sterling Heights has a work from home of 13.8% compared to 11.6% in Elgin. Elgin has a bicycle of 0.5% compared to 0.4% in Sterling Heights.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Elgin, IL
Compare Elgin against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.