SterlingAK
A town of 6,323, settled in 1954.
Is Sterling a good place to live?
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of U.S. communities, with avalanches at the top. Overall it grades B, 9th among Alaska's 41 graded towns. It is healthier than 76% of U.S. towns. 28% of residents are 65 or older in Sterling, above both Alaska’s towns (13%) and U.S. towns (18%). No town in Alaska scores lower than Sterling on history. The biggest park or preserve is Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, at 753 acres.
What makes Sterling stand out
Where Sterling beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
How Sterling grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alaska), ordered by how far Sterling is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Sterling: who provides what
Sterling is unincorporated, so Kenai Peninsula Borough and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Sterling.
Sterling is a second-home town and has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns.
Sterling has a very high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from avalanches
Of the losses FEMA expects in Sterling, 48% come from avalanches and 30% from earthquakes. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Sterling after 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2018.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Public schools in Sterling beat 65% of Alaska districts
Its one school is below. The public schools here belong to the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. Enrollment at Sterling’s public school: 114 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 114 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AK on state tests and graduation
Sterling stands out in Alaska and nationally: the median age there is higher
20.9% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, against 8.6% statewide, which helps explain the older median age.
For residents in Sterling, the share who are under 18 is 19%. Among adults 25 and older, 29% have a four-year degree or more, against 32% across Alaska.
| Sterling | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 46.8 years | 36.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 19% | 24% | 22% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.9 points. Across Alaska, 47.5% of residents are women.
| Sterling | AK | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.3% | 13.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.2% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.8% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10% | 15.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.9% | 14.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 17.6% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10% | 4.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.6% | 28.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 29.2% | 24% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.7% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.5% | 11.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Sterling earns an A− for health
Only 2 of the 41 Alaska towns we compare have a lower share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Sterling. In Sterling, 68% of adults had a checkup this year. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Sterling is ahead of Alaska on 9 and behind on 6.
| Sterling | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 68% | 68% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 21% | 23% |
| What stands out | Sterling | AK |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.6% | 12.3% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.8% | 8.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Conserved land covers 5.3% of Sterling
Sterling’s trail density comes in at 0.2 miles per square mile. Trails run 12 miles in 3 parks and preserves.
| Sterling | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 5.3% | 15% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kenai National Wildlife Refuge | — | 753 |
| 2. Bing's Landing State Recreation Area | — | 112 |
| 3. Izaak Walton Campground & Day Use Area | — | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Sterling has four seasons and pleasant summers
July afternoons average 66.1°, cooler than in 100% of U.S. towns; January nights average 8.2°.
Sterling’s January low is 8°F.
| Sterling | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 66°F | 66°F | 85°F |
| January low | 8°F | 7°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical home in Sterling: about $362K
Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 6.5% in value. Among households in Sterling, 87% are owner-occupiers. The midpoint rent for Sterling comes to $1,248 a month.
| Sterling | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 87% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,248 a month | $1,412 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Sterling
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Sterling
About 4 of every 100 Sterling residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Alaska.
Sterling’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with Sterling.
| Town | AK rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling | #9 | B | B− | — | B+ | A− |
| Funny River | — | — | B+ | — | B+ | B+ |
| Ridgeway | — | — | C+ | — | B+ | B |
| Soldotna | #18 | B− | B | B− | B+ | B |
Funny River and Ridgeway have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Sterling, Funny River and Ridgeway report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Sterling with a neighbor →
Questions about Sterling
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sterling, AK a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Sterling grades B overall, better than 60% of U.S. towns and #9 of 41 in Alaska. It grades A− for health and B+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Sterling, AK expensive?
That is 4.5 years of the area's median household income ($80,538 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.