Dillons Old Sign, 2025
Sterling Township’s story
154 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,014 in 1880, 2,248 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1917 and 3 maps from 1894 on.
- 1872Sterling Township is founded
Sterling TownshipKS
Trash day: WednesdayPopulation
184
2025 Census estimate · −2.6% since 2020
Median home value
$241K
Census ACS
Household income
$143K
median
Median age
35.4
years
Jobs based here
49
Balanced
Is Sterling Township a good place to live?
Among 152 Kansas towns, just 1 have a higher share of households owning their home than Sterling Township. Sterling Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Sterling Township stand out
Where Sterling Township beats most towns.
Small town
184 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Medford TownshipValley TownshipGrant TownshipAtlanta TownshipWest Washington TownshipSterling Township
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Sterling Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sterling Township, and how to reach them.
PowerArk Valley Elec Coop AssnEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Sterling water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers53% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpWednesdayTrash dayTown site
Register to voteOnlineIn Kansas you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person until 21 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereRice County ClerkRice County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Dec 2025
ZIP code6757967579 100%Census 2020
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 Township.
Who lives here
More children than Kansas overall
Children under 18 are 39% of residents (24% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 8% of residents (23% statewide). 41% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Sterling Township, above both the Kansas town median (29%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). The median age in Sterling Township is 35.4 years.
35.4median age · KS 37.4
| Sterling Township | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 29% | 29% |
| Median age | 35.4 years | 38.1 years | 40.5 years |
Sterling TownshipKansasUnited States
Ages · share of residents
27%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma1%
High school23%
Some college13%
Associate’s22%
Bachelor’s32%
Graduate9%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 40% and 78% women
The Census survey reached too few of Sterling Township’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±19.2 points. Across Kansas, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Sterling Township | KS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 22.3% | 12.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 17% | 11.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.1% | 10.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 4.9% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 26.8% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.1% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 5.8% | 12.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 0% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 0.8% | 8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.3% | 25.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 13.2% | 21.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 21.7% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 31.8% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.3% | 13.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 200, single groups can be off by several points
Natural hazards
Inland flooding leads a high hazard risk in Sterling Township
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 75% of U.S. communities. Since 2007, 15 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sterling Township.
75risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
15
paid flood claims since 2007
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Sterling Township has four seasons and hot summers
Sterling Township has chilly winters and hot summers. Sterling Township’s July high is 93°F, above both Kansas’ towns (91°F) and U.S. towns (85°F).
9″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter22–45°
Spring42–67°
Summer66–90°
Fall44–69°
Oct 23
typical first frost
Apr 15
typical last frost
+0.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commute
With 0.8 jobs for every working resident, most of Sterling Township’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Sterling Township for work: only 0% work in town. Sterling Township’s average trip to work is 30 minutes. Jobs based in Sterling Township grew to 49 in 2023, 20 more than in 2013.
0%work in town
| Sterling Township | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Sterling Township0%
Sterling29%
Lyons16%
Hutchinson12%
Little River3%
16 mi
median commute distance
49
jobs based in Sterling Township
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Health
How healthy Sterling Township is
Sterling Township tracks Kansas closely on all 32 CDC measures. 31% of Sterling Township adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Sterling Township | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 35% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 37% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 34% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Kansas
0 better32 too close to call0 worse
Hospital District #1 of Rice County
7.3 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 28,025 acres
1.7 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sterling Township
17pages on Sterling Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Sterling Township
About 0 of every 100 Sterling Township residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Kansas.
About Sterling Township
City in Rice County, Kansas
Sterling is a city in Rice County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,248. Sterling is home to Sterling College.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,640 ft
- ZIP code
- 67579
- Area code
- 620
Questions about Sterling Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sterling Township, KS a good place to live?
Sterling Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.