Population

Palm Bay

125,273

Sterling Heights

133,473

Median Income

Palm Bay

$67,521

Sterling Heights

$78,429

Home Value

Palm Bay

$248,000

Sterling Heights

$260,700

Rent

Palm Bay

$1,487

Sterling Heights

$1,267

Crime Rate

Palm Bay

3.48

Sterling Heights

2.31

Cost of Living

Palm Bay

118.1

Sterling Heights

122.4

Avg Temp

Palm Bay

N/A

Sterling Heights

N/A

Unemployment

Palm Bay

5.9%

Sterling Heights

6.2%

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How Similar Are Palm Bay & Sterling Heights?

Sterling Heights is Palm Bay's #5 most similar city

6/10

6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Palm Bay

125,273

vs

Sterling Heights

133,473

Match · 6% difference

Both cities have similar populations — Palm Bay at 125,273 and Sterling Heights at 133,473.

Violent Crime

Palm Bay

3.48

vs

Sterling Heights

2.31

Different · 34% difference
🚨

Palm Bay has a 34% higher violent crime than Sterling Heights.

Property Crime

🔒

Palm Bay

10.17

vs

Sterling Heights

10.42

Match · 2% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 2% difference.

Political Leaning

Palm Bay

59.9%

vs

Sterling Heights

55.9%

Match · 7% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 7% difference.

Unemployment

💼

Palm Bay

5.9%

vs

Sterling Heights

6.2%

Match · 4% difference

Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 4% difference.

Median Income

Palm Bay

$67,521

vs

Sterling Heights

$78,429

Different · 14% difference
💰

Sterling Heights has a 14% higher median income than Palm Bay.

Home Values

🏠

Palm Bay

$248,000

vs

Sterling Heights

$260,700

Match · 5% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 5% difference.

Education

Palm Bay

16.0%

vs

Sterling Heights

22.4%

Different · 29% difference
🎓

Sterling Heights has a 29% higher education than Palm Bay.

Demographics

🌍

Palm Bay

59.2%

vs

Sterling Heights

78.9%

Different · 25% difference

Sterling Heights has a 25% higher demographics than Palm Bay.

Cost of Living

Palm Bay

118.1

vs

Sterling Heights

122.4

Match · 4% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.

6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Palm Bay and Sterling Heights share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Palm Bay

vsof 8

0

Sterling Heights

Cost of Living & Affordability — Palm Bay leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Sterling Heights has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,122 vs $1,478 in Palm Bay (32% lower). Sterling Heights has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,411 vs $1,709 in Palm Bay (21% lower). Palm Bay scores 101.6 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 109.9 in Sterling Heights.

Overall Cost Index

Palm Bay118.1
Sterling Heights122.4

Housing Index

Palm Bay142.7
Sterling Heights141.8

Food Index

Palm Bay101.6
Sterling Heights109.9

Transportation Index

Palm Bay108.9
Sterling Heights106.9

Healthcare Index

Palm Bay101.3
Sterling Heights108.0

Utilities Index

Palm Bay109.5
Sterling Heights114.3

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Palm Bay$51,947
Sterling Heights$53,843

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Palm Bay$122,784
Sterling Heights$127,266

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Palm Bay$1,478
Sterling Heights$1,122

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Palm Bay$1,709
Sterling Heights$1,411

Housing Market

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Sterling Heights has a vacancy rate of 3.5% compared to 9.0% in Palm Bay. Palm Bay has a median property tax of $1,539 vs $3,559 in Sterling Heights (57% lower). Sterling Heights has a median rent of $1,267 vs $1,487 in Palm Bay (17% lower).

Median Home Value

Palm Bay$248,000
Sterling Heights$260,700

Median Rent

Palm Bay$1,487
Sterling Heights$1,267

Median Property Tax

Palm Bay$1,539
Sterling Heights$3,559

Owner-Occupied

Palm Bay79.3%
Sterling Heights76.4%

Vacancy Rate

Palm Bay9.0%
Sterling Heights3.5%

Single-Family Homes

Palm Bay84.9%
Sterling Heights76.2%

Jobs & Economy — Sterling Heights leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Sterling Heights has a work from home of 13.8% compared to 9.4% in Palm Bay. Sterling Heights: 22 min vs Palm Bay: 25 min for mean commute. Sterling Heights has a median household income of $78,429 vs $67,521 in Palm Bay (14% higher).

Median Household Income

Palm Bay$67,521
Sterling Heights$78,429

Per Capita Income

Palm Bay$34,474
Sterling Heights$37,315

Poverty Rate

Palm Bay11.6%
Sterling Heights10.6%

Unemployment Rate

Palm Bay5.9%
Sterling Heights6.2%

Labor Force

Palm Bay61,386
Sterling Heights68,559

Mean Commute

Palm Bay25 min
Sterling Heights22 min

Work from Home

Palm Bay9.4%
Sterling Heights13.8%

Private Sector

Palm Bay92.6%
Sterling Heights97.8%

Government Sector

Palm Bay43.2%
Sterling Heights47.1%

Crime & Safety — Sterling Heights leads

Source: FBI UCR

Sterling Heights has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.01 compared to 0.08 in Palm Bay. Sterling Heights has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.15 compared to 0.52 in Palm Bay. Sterling Heights has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 0.77 compared to 2.30 in Palm Bay.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Palm Bay3.48
Sterling Heights2.31

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Palm Bay10.17
Sterling Heights10.42

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Palm Bay0.08
Sterling Heights0.01

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Palm Bay0.52
Sterling Heights0.15

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Palm Bay2.40
Sterling Heights1.83

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Palm Bay2.30
Sterling Heights0.77

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Palm Bay7.25
Sterling Heights7.89

Violent Crime Clearance

Palm Bay51.1%
Sterling Heights49.2%

Property Crime Clearance

Palm Bay15.4%
Sterling Heights14.5%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

Palm BayN/A
Sterling HeightsN/A

Avg Annual High

Palm BayN/A
Sterling HeightsN/A

Avg Annual Low

Palm BayN/A
Sterling HeightsN/A

Sunny Days per Year

Palm BayN/A
Sterling HeightsN/A

Annual Rainfall

Palm BayN/A
Sterling HeightsN/A

Annual Snowfall

Palm BayN/A
Sterling HeightsN/A

Avg Humidity

Palm BayN/A
Sterling HeightsN/A

Schools & Education — Sterling Heights leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Sterling Heights has a bachelor's degree or higher of 22.4% compared to 16.0% in Palm Bay. Sterling Heights has a high school diploma or higher of 42.4% compared to 39.1% in Palm Bay.

Public Schools

Palm Bay0
Sterling Heights0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

Palm BayN/A
Sterling HeightsN/A

Colleges & Universities

Palm Bay0
Sterling Heights0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Palm Bay16.0%
Sterling Heights22.4%

High School Diploma or Higher

Palm Bay39.1%
Sterling Heights42.4%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Sterling Heights has a population of 133,473, about 1.1x the size of Palm Bay (125,273).

Population

Palm Bay125,273
Sterling Heights133,473

Median Age

Palm Bay41
Sterling Heights42

Avg Household Size

Palm Bay2.8
Sterling Heights2.6

Married Population

Palm Bay39.8%
Sterling Heights45.1%

Foreign Born

Palm Bay15.1%
Sterling Heights27.4%

White

Palm Bay59.2%
Sterling Heights78.9%

Black

Palm Bay19.3%
Sterling Heights6.5%

Hispanic

Palm Bay19.7%
Sterling Heights2.4%

Asian

Palm Bay2.1%
Sterling Heights9.0%

Palm Bay

Sterling Heights

Healthcare — Palm Bay leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Palm Bay: 3.0 vs Sterling Heights: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Palm Bay5
Sterling Heights5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Palm Bay3.0
Sterling Heights2.0

With Emergency Services

Palm Bay4
Sterling Heights4

Transportation & Commute — Palm Bay leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Palm Bay has a public transit of 1.0% compared to 0.5% in Sterling Heights. Palm Bay has a bicycle of 0.8% compared to 0.4% in Sterling Heights. Sterling Heights has a work from home of 13.8% compared to 9.4% in Palm Bay.

Mean Commute Time

Palm Bay25 min
Sterling Heights22 min

Drive Alone

Palm Bay76.5%
Sterling Heights74.7%

Public Transit

Palm Bay1.0%
Sterling Heights0.5%

Bicycle

Palm Bay0.8%
Sterling Heights0.4%

Work from Home

Palm Bay9.4%
Sterling Heights13.8%

Airports

Palm Bay0
Sterling Heights0

Cities Similar to Palm Bay, FL

Compare Palm Bay 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.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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