Population
Sterling Heights
133,473
Palm Bay
125,273
Median Income
Sterling Heights
$78,429
Palm Bay
$67,521
Home Value
Sterling Heights
$260,700
Palm Bay
$248,000
Rent
Sterling Heights
$1,267
Palm Bay
$1,487
Crime Rate
Sterling Heights
2.31
Palm Bay
3.48
Cost of Living
Sterling Heights
122.4
Palm Bay
118.1
Avg Temp
Sterling Heights
N/A
Palm Bay
N/A
Unemployment
Sterling Heights
6.2%
Palm Bay
5.9%
How Similar Are Sterling Heights & Palm Bay?
Palm Bay is Sterling Heights's #2 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Sterling Heights
133,473
Palm Bay
125,273
Both cities have similar populations — Sterling Heights at 133,473 and Palm Bay at 125,273.
Violent Crime
Sterling Heights
2.31
Palm Bay
3.48
Palm Bay has a 34% higher violent crime than Sterling Heights.
Property Crime
Sterling Heights
10.42
Palm Bay
10.17
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 2% difference.
Political Leaning
Sterling Heights
55.9%
Palm Bay
59.9%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 7% difference.
Unemployment
Sterling Heights
6.2%
Palm Bay
5.9%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 4% difference.
Median Income
Sterling Heights
$78,429
Palm Bay
$67,521
Sterling Heights has a 14% higher median income than Palm Bay.
Home Values
Sterling Heights
$260,700
Palm Bay
$248,000
Both cities have similar home values — just a 5% difference.
Education
Sterling Heights
22.4%
Palm Bay
16.0%
Sterling Heights has a 29% higher education than Palm Bay.
Demographics
Sterling Heights
78.9%
Palm Bay
59.2%
Sterling Heights has a 25% higher demographics than Palm Bay.
Cost of Living
Sterling Heights
122.4
Palm Bay
118.1
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Sterling Heights and Palm Bay share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Sterling Heights
0
Palm Bay
Cost of Living & Affordability — Palm Bay leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDSterling Heights has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,122 vs $1,478 in Palm Bay (24% lower). Sterling Heights has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,411 vs $1,709 in Palm Bay (17% lower). Palm Bay scores 101.6 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 109.9 in Sterling Heights.
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
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPalm Bay has a median property tax of $1,539 vs $3,559 in Sterling Heights (131% lower). Sterling Heights has a vacancy rate of 3.5% compared to 9.0% in Palm Bay. Sterling Heights has a median rent of $1,267 vs $1,487 in Palm Bay (15% lower).
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 9.4% in Palm Bay. Sterling Heights has a median household income of $78,429 vs $67,521 in Palm Bay (16% higher). Sterling Heights: 22 min vs Palm Bay: 25 min for mean commute.
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 0.08 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)
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 16.0% in Palm Bay. Sterling Heights has a high school diploma or higher of 42.4% compared to 39.1% in Palm Bay.
Public Schools
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 1.1x the size of Palm Bay (125,273).
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Sterling Heights
Palm Bay
Healthcare — Palm Bay leads
Source: CMS Hospital ComparePalm Bay: 3.0 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 — Palm Bay leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPalm 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
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Sterling Heights, MI
Compare Sterling Heights 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.