Population
Sterling Heights
133,473
Portage
37,951
Median Income
Sterling Heights
$78,429
Portage
$72,833
Home Value
Sterling Heights
$260,700
Portage
$210,800
Rent
Sterling Heights
$1,267
Portage
$1,138
Crime Rate
Sterling Heights
2.31
Portage
2.35
Cost of Living
Sterling Heights
122.4
Portage
110.8
Avg Temp
Sterling Heights
N/A
Portage
N/A
Unemployment
Sterling Heights
6.2%
Portage
7.3%
How Similar Are Sterling Heights & Portage?
Portage is Sterling Heights's #6 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Sterling Heights
133,473
Portage
37,951
Sterling Heights (133,473) is about 3.5x larger than Portage (37,951).
Violent Crime
Sterling Heights
2.31
Portage
2.35
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 2% difference.
Property Crime
Sterling Heights
10.42
Portage
11.09
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 6% difference.
Political Leaning
Sterling Heights
55.9%
Portage
54.3%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 3% difference.
Unemployment
Sterling Heights
6.2%
Portage
7.3%
Portage has a 15% higher unemployment than Sterling Heights.
Median Income
Sterling Heights
$78,429
Portage
$72,833
Both cities have similar median income — just a 7% difference.
Home Values
Sterling Heights
$260,700
Portage
$210,800
Sterling Heights has a 19% higher home values than Portage.
Education
Sterling Heights
22.4%
Portage
11.1%
Sterling Heights's education is significantly higher than Portage's — 51% difference.
Demographics
Sterling Heights
78.9%
Portage
74.7%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 5% difference.
Cost of Living
Sterling Heights
122.4
Portage
110.8
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 9% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Sterling Heights and Portage share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Sterling Heights
0
Portage
Sterling Heights leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Portage leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDPortage scores 115.6 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 141.8 in Sterling Heights. Portage scores 110.8 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 122.4 in Sterling Heights. Portage has a living wage (family of 4) of $115,235 vs $127,266 in Sterling Heights (10% 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 ACSPortage has a median property tax of $1,719 vs $3,559 in Sterling Heights (107% lower). Sterling Heights has a vacancy rate of 3.5% compared to 5.6% in Portage. Sterling Heights has a median home value of $260,700 vs $210,800 in Portage (24% higher).
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: 68,559 vs Portage: 19,246 for labor force. Sterling Heights has a work from home of 13.8% compared to 4.5% in Portage. Sterling Heights has a unemployment rate of 6.2% compared to 7.3% in Portage.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Portage leads
Source: FBI UCRSterling Heights has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.01 compared to 0.10 in Portage. Portage has a property crime clearance of 46.4% compared to 14.5% in Sterling Heights. Portage has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.10 compared to 0.15 in Sterling Heights.
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 11.1% in Portage. Sterling Heights has a high school diploma or higher of 42.4% compared to 38.9% in Portage.
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 3.5x the size of Portage (37,951). Portage skews younger with a median age of 39.0 vs 41.5.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Sterling Heights
Portage
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareNearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSterling Heights has a work from home of 13.8% compared to 4.5% in Portage. Portage has a public transit of 0.8% compared to 0.5% in Sterling Heights. Portage has a drive alone of 86.8% compared to 74.7% in Sterling Heights.
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.