Photo: KWayne1 · CC BY-SA 4.0Sterling runs its own hospital
Sterling’s city government spent $33 million on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2024, about $2,262 per resident. It also runs a hospital ($273.9 million), counted separately. Census Bureau figures.
What stands out about how Sterling is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
About $2,262 per resident a year, or $6.20 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 11%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,484 per resident in 2022: more than 74% of them
Sterling’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,484 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 97 Illinois cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,094, and the middle half spent $794–$1,485. Sterling spent more than 74% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Illinois cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Sterling itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 55% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Sterling reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,484 · 2023: $1,879 · 2024: $2,262.
full-time in March 2025 (hospital, health & welfare left out), down from 97 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,588 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.38% of the home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Sterling’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Sterling’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Sterling →
6 upcoming meetings at town hall
From Sterling’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
- Nov3Sterling Public Library BoardTuesday · 7:00 pm · Sterling Public Library 102 West 3rd StreetSterling Public Library Board MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov10Sterling Municipal BandTuesday · 6:00 pm · Sterling City Hall Council Chambers, 212 3rd AvenueMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov16City CouncilMonday · 6:30 pm · Sterling City Hall Council Chambers, 212 3rd AvenueCity Council MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov19Plan CommissionThursday · 6:30 pm · Sterling City Hall Council Chambers, 212 3rd AvenuePlan Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Dec1Sterling Public Library BoardTuesday · 7:00 pm · Sterling Public Library 102 West 3rd StreetSterling Public Library Board MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Dec7City CouncilMonday · 6:30 pm · Sterling City Hall Council Chambers, 212 3rd AvenueCity Council MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
Recent meetings
- Nov2City CouncilMonday · 6:30 pm · Sterling City Hall Council Chambers, 212 3rd AvenueCity Council MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct22Plan CommissionThursday · 6:30 pmPlan Commission /Zoning Board of AppealsAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct19City CouncilMonday · 6:30 pm · Sterling City Hall Council Chambers, 212 3rd AvenueCity Council MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct15Plan CommissionThursday · 6:30 pm · Sterling City Hall Council Chambers, 212 3rd AvenuePlan Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗
- Oct14GeneralWednesday · 5:15 pm · 212 3rd AvenueFire and Police CommissionMeeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗Who’s in charge in Sterling
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 155 residents, not counting hospital, health & welfare staff
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (14,566).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Sterling Community Unit District 5
Sterling’s K–12 school district, shared with Coleta, Sterling Township, Hopkins Township, Jordan Township, Genesee Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,512 per pupil, $9,753 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Illinois districts overall: 52% local, 38% state, 10% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Sterling’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Sterling alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Whiteside County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican56.1%14,898 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat41.4%11,012 votesOthers: 2.5% (658 votes).
Most votes in Whiteside County: Donald J Trump
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Sterling lies in Whiteside County. Every 2024 race in Whiteside County is on the county’s page.
Whiteside County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Sterling.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.sterling.il.us ↗
- 2Illinois HouseState representatives
- 3Illinois SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Illinois
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Sterling compares with the towns next door
Sterling spent $1,484 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Coloma Township | $30 | $2,144 |
| Sterling Township | $83 | $2,664 |
| Hopkins Township | $268 | $3,127 |
| Rock Falls | $1,099 | $2,112 |
| Sterling | $1,484 | $2,588 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Sterling’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Sterling’s government
How much does Sterling spend per resident?
About $2,262 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. Sterling also runs a hospital ($273.9 million), counted separately. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,484 was more than 74% of 97 Illinois cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Sterling?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,588 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.38% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.sterling.il.us.
Who runs Sterling’s government?
See ci.sterling.il.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Sterling yet.
How did Sterling vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Sterling alone. Whiteside County, where 100% of Sterling lies, voted Trump 56.1%, Harris 41.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Sterling?
94 full-time and 205 part-time employees in March 2025 (plus 1,376 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $11.7M (about $140.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Sterling in the state legislature?
State Senate District 37 (Li Arellano) and State House District 74 (Brad Fritts). The House district also covers 82 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
When is the next public meeting in Sterling?
The next posted meeting is Sterling Public Library Board on Tuesday, November 3, at 7:00 pm in Sterling Public Library 102 West 3rd Street, from the city’s own agenda portal.
Ask neighbors about Sterling’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →