SterlingGA
A town of 2,091, settled in 1832. Public schools that outperform most of Georgia.
Is Sterling a good place to live?
Sterling’s best subject grade is an A for cost of living; its weakest is a C− for walkability. On cost of living, just 34 of Georgia’s 371 towns do better. Sterling’s January low is 40°F, where Georgia’s towns sit at 33°F and U.S. towns at 22°F. Sterling has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Sterling stand out
Where Sterling beats most towns.
99% of working residents leave Sterling for work
Where Sterling’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Sterling grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Sterling is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Sterling: who provides what
Sterling is unincorporated, so Glynn County 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 Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Sterling.
On state tests, Sterling’s schools beat 75% of Georgia districts
Its public schools are run by the Glynn County school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jane Macon MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 801 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within GA on state tests and graduation
Sterling has 0.4 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Sterling for work: only 1% work in town. Jobs based in Sterling grew to 434 in 2023, 59 more than in 2013. Sterling’s median household income is $86,000, against $63,000 in Georgia’s towns and $80,000 across U.S. towns.
| Sterling | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 9.1% | 8% |
| Median household income | $86,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 15% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Hurricanes leads a high hazard risk in Sterling
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 71% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Mild winters and hot summers in Sterling
Sterling has warm winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Sterling is 93°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
On CDC estimates, Sterling is healthier than 59% of U.S. towns
Sterling beats the Georgia average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 17% of adults binge drink in Sterling.
| Sterling | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 40% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 39% | 33% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Sterling | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 3.1% | 3.6% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5.3% | 6.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Sterling has set aside 0.2% of its land for conservation
0.9 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Sterling | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.2% | 2.3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sterling Park | — | 3 |
| 2. East Sterling Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The median home in Sterling sells for about $315K
Sterling’s median rent is $919 a month.
| Sterling | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $919 a month | $1,154 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 61% | 58% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Jekyll Island and 8 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sterling. Close and well known come first.
15 mi Park & preserveJekyll Island
11 mi LandmarkIgbo Landing Historic Site
9 mi National MonumentFort Frederica National Monument108K visitors a year
21 mi National SeashoreCumberland Island National Seashore60K visitors a year
39 mi LandmarkFort Clinch38 mi MuseumWhite Oak ConservationPhoto credits
Jekyll Island: normanack on Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Igbo Landing Historic Site: Jud McCranie, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fort Frederica National Monument: Bubba73 (talk), Jud McCranie, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cumberland Island National Seashore: The original uploader was Pgabolde at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Clinch: Fl295 at English Wikipedia, Public domain
Everything we know about Sterling
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Sterling
About 1 of every 100 Sterling residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Georgia.
Questions about Sterling
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sterling, GA a good place to live?
Public schools that outperform most of Georgia.