Birds eye view of Mount Sterling, Brown County, Illinois 1869, 1869
Mount Sterling’s story
193 years in pictures
The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1869.
- 1833Mount Sterling is settled
Mount SterlingIL
A town of 2,155, settled in 1833.
Photo: Adam Moss from Macomb, IL, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
2,155
2025 Census estimate · +7.5% since 2020
Median home value
$131K
Census ACS
Household income
$59K
median
Median age
35.3
years
Jobs based here
4,089
A job hub
Is Mount Sterling a good place to live?
The best of Mount Sterling’s subject grades are an A for walkability and civic life and an A− for cost of living; the weakest is a C− for health. 34% of working residents work locally in Mount Sterling, where Illinois’ towns sit at 8.3% and U.S. towns at 8%. On health, just 73 of Illinois’ 1,284 towns do worse. Only 60 of Illinois’ 1,240 towns score higher on civic life. Mount Sterling has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Mount Sterling stand out
Where Mount Sterling beats most towns.
Jobs vs. working residents
Jobs here4,089
Residents who work786
Work
A regional job hub: more jobs per worker than 99% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Mount Sterling5.8
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical IL town3.4
Civic lifeA
72% more nonprofits per person
than the typical Illinois town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
WalkabilityA
More walkable than 89% of U.S. towns
7.7% of workers walk, bike or ride transit
EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.
A job hub
Every workday, about 3,818 people come to Mount Sterling for work
Where Mount Sterling’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
4,089jobs based in Mount Sterling
34%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Mount Sterling grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Mount Sterling is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 8.9 of 20; 14.6% of households have no carAOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $131K, 1.9 years of the county’s $68K median household incomeA−Open →HealthLess healthy than 83% of U.S. towns; Sarah D Culbertson Memorial Hospital 14 miles awayC−Open →Jobs & income$59K median household incomeCOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 33% of U.S. communities; cold waves tops the listB+Open →SchoolsBeat 53% of Illinois districts on tests and graduationB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors6% conserved landBOpen →History6 notable people born hereBOpen →Civic life5.8 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Mount Sterling: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mount Sterling, and how to reach them.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterMount Sterling water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Mount Sterling’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Illinois you can register online until 16 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 28 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereBrown County ClerkBrown County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code6235362353 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Mount Sterling.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
Mount Sterling has 5.2 jobs for every working resident, and 3,818 people commute in
About one in 3 of Mount Sterling’s working residents works in town. At 14 minutes, Mount Sterling’s average trip to work is below both Illinois’ towns (26 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Jobs based in Mount Sterling grew to 4,089 in 2023, 2,915 more than in 2013.
34%work in town
| Mount Sterling | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Mount Sterling34%
Quincy8%
Mount Sterling Township4%
Springfield4%
Jacksonville3%
20 mi
median commute distance
4,089
jobs based in Mount Sterling
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
A
Walkability grade: more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthC−
Mount Sterling stands out in Illinois and nationally, with more of its adults who smoke cigarettes
20% of Mount Sterling adults smoke cigarettes. Mount Sterling beats the Illinois average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 18. 29% of Mount Sterling adults get no exercise outside work.
17%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Mount Sterling | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 18% | 19% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
0 better14 too close to call18 worse
| What stands out | Mount Sterling | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.5% | 10.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.3% | 6.3% |
| More smokers | 19.5% | 12.1% |
Sarah D Culbertson Memorial Hospital
14 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
In Mount Sterling, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Mount Sterling has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 18° and about 14 inches of snow falls in a winter.
14″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter21–38°
Spring42–63°
Summer63–84°
Fall44–65°
Oct 15
typical first frost
Apr 18
typical last frost
+0.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
Mount Sterling faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by cold waves
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 67% of U.S. communities.
33risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesHeat wavesInland flooding
5
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Safety
In Mount Sterling, property crime runs lower than in the typical Illinois or U.S. town
The property crime rate in Mount Sterling is 0 per 1,000 residents. Mount Sterling's reported crime rate is well below Illinois's. No violent crimes were reported in 2025.
| Mount Sterling | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Mount Sterling0
Illinois2.6
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Mount Sterling0
Illinois15.6
U.S.15.5
0
violent crimes reported in 2025
0
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
5.6%conserved
5.6%
conserved · 43 of 762 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Frisbee Golf Course | — | 5 |
| 2. Clark Park | — | 4 |
| 3. Brown County Elementary Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Mount Sterling
20pages on Mount Sterling
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Mount Sterling; the nearest are
John Wood Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Quincy30.7 mi$5,700 in-state tuitionWestern Illinois UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Macomb33.6 mi$15,264 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Mount Sterling residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
Famous people from Mount Sterling
6 notable people were born in Mount Sterling.
J
James Douglas ElliottUnited States federal judge · 1859–1933
D
Duke W. DunbarAmerican politician · 1894–1972J
James Leonard PateAmerican Business Executive · 1935–2003About Mount Sterling
City in Illinois, United States
Mount Sterling is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,006 at the 2020 census. Foodservice distributor Dot Foods is based in Mount Sterling.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 735 ft
- ZIP code
- 62353
- Area code
- 217
Questions about Mount Sterling
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Mount Sterling, IL expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
What is Mount Sterling, IL known for?
6 notable people were born here, including John R. Connelly and John James McDannold.