Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,663, settled in 1902.
Sterlington grades B overall, 20th among Louisiana's 161 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its public schools beat 80% of Louisiana towns on state tests and graduation and natural-hazard risk is low. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $223K, 4.3 years of the Monroe metro’s $52K median household income. On civic life, just 5 of Louisiana’s 152 towns do worse. Sterlington’s July high is 93°F, against 92°F in Louisiana’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns. Only 8 of the 162 Louisiana towns we compare have a lower January low than Sterlington.
Where Sterlington beats most towns.
1,594 counted in 2010 and 1,980 in 2020; an estimated 2,663 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 32.7% since 2020, after 24.2% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Sterlington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,118 in 1970, 1,980 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 5 maps from 1935 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sterlington, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Sterlington.
Sterlington carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Louisiana (mostly inland flooding), looks healthier within Louisiana than nationally and has milder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of Louisiana.
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 99% of Louisiana towns; that rating is what its A for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Sterlington is 10 of 100. Since 2006, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sterlington.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Ouachita Parish school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sterlington Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 800 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Sterlington for work: only 3% work in town. Since 2013, Sterlington has added 274 jobs, to 558 in 2023. 17% of Sterlington residents live below the poverty line.
| Sterlington | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 20% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.5% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $56,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
January nights average 35.4°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 92% of Louisiana places with climate records; July afternoons average 92.9°.
Sterlington has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Sterlington has grown 33% since 2020, to 2,663 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Sterlington’s median age is 35.9 years. 20% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 27% across Louisiana.
| Sterlington | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 35.9 years | 37.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 20% | 20% | 29% |
55% women, 45% men
About 82 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.6 points). Across Louisiana, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Sterlington | LA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.1% | 12.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 17% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.6% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.2% | 13.3% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.3% | 11.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 6% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 17.5% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.2% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.1% | 12.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 38.8% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 26.6% | 20.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.7% | 7.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 11.5% | 17% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.3% | 10.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,700, single groups can be off by several points
Within Louisiana it is healthier than 86% of the 161 graded towns: much of Louisiana scores lower on these measures.
Sterlington beats the Louisiana average on 14 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 11% of adults have diabetes in Sterlington. Only 7 of the 161 Louisiana towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have high blood pressure than Sterlington.
| Sterlington | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| What stands out | Sterlington | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 3% | 4.3% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 10.7% | 15.2% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 72.5% | 78.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Sterlington home is worth about $223,000, up 1.8% in a year, close to the Louisiana typical home.
| Sterlington | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,078 a month | $989 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Just 2 of its 1,807 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Sterlington itself; its outdoors grade is D.
0.1 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sterlington Recreation Center | — | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sterlington. Close and well known come first.
38 mi National MonumentPoverty Point National Monument
23 mi Ancient siteWatson Brake
12 mi MuseumChennault Aviation and Military Museum
12 mi GardenBiedenharn Museum and Gardens16 mi Zoo & aquariumLouisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo
35 mi TheatreDixie Center for the ArtsPoverty Point National Monument: Unknown, Public domain · Watson Brake: Herb Roe, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Chennault Aviation and Military Museum: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Biedenharn Museum and Gardens: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Dixie Center for the Arts: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Sterlington
About 6 of every 100 Sterlington residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Louisiana.
Where Sterlington’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in Louisiana, United States
Sterlington is a town in northern Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States, near the boundary with Union Parish. As of the 2020 census, Sterlington had a population of 1,980. In 2014, Sterlington was the fastest-growing community in Northeast Louisiana.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Sterlington grades B overall, better than 58% of U.S. towns and #20 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades B− for health and A− for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
