Photo: Ajay Suresh · CC BY 4.0Sterling Heights spent less per resident in 2022 than 81% of similar cities
Sterling Heights’ city government spent $174.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,314 per resident. Water and other utilities ($27.7 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Sterling Heights is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,201 per resident in 2022: less than 81% of them
Sterling Heights’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,201 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 21 Michigan cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,867, and the middle half spent $1,510–$1,988. Sterling Heights spent less than 81% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($25.5 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Michigan cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Sterling Heights itself left out).
About $1,314 per resident a year, or $3.60 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 24%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 10% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Sterling Heights 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: $1,201 · 2023: $1,215 · 2024: $1,314.
full-time in March 2025, up from 462 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,628 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.32% of the home’s value, vs 1.25% across Michigan.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Sterling Heights’ 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 Heights’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Sterling Heights →
Who’s in charge in Sterling Heights
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Sterling Heights’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on sterlingheights.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 257 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (132,567).
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.
Utica Community Schools
Sterling Heights’ K–12 school district, shared with Utica, Shelby Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,140 per pupil, $9,757 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.
Michigan districts overall: 34% local, 57% state, 9% federal.
Warren Consolidated Schools · $17,917 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Sterling Heights voted in 2024
Official results for Sterling Heights’ own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican59.6%43,972 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat38.0%28,028 votesOthers: 2.4% (1,757 votes).
Most votes in Sterling Heights: Donald J Trump
Macomb County: Trump 55.9%, Harris 42.2% · Michigan: Trump 49.7%, Harris 48.3%
of Sterling Heights’ 99,780 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Michigan: 74%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Mike RogersRepublican57.0%
Elissa SlotkinDemocrat39.7%Most votes in Sterling Heights: Mike Rogers
Macomb County: Rogers 53.3%, Slotkin 43.6% · Michigan: Slotkin 48.6%, Rogers 48.3%
Most votes in the district: John James
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Sterling Heights, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling Heights | 59.6% | 38.0% | 2.4% | 73,757 |
| Macomb County | 55.9% | 42.2% | 1.9% | 509,152 |
| Michigan | 49.7% | 48.3% | 2.0% | 5,664,186 |
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; Elissa Slotkin: U.S. House portrait (congress-legislators project); Mike Rogers: U.S. House portrait (congress-legislators project). 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 Heights.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: sterlingheights.gov ↗
- 2Michigan HouseSterling Heights is split between 3 districts
- 3Michigan SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Michigan
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Sterling Heights compares with the towns next door
Sterling Heights spent $1,201 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $721 to $1,745. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Shelby Township | $721 | $3,792 |
| Clinton Township | $892 | $3,320 |
| Troy | $1,108 | $5,267 |
| Warren | $1,489 | $3,018 |
| Utica | $1,745 | $3,334 |
| Sterling Heights | $1,201 | $3,628 |
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 Heights’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Sterling Heights’ government
How much does Sterling Heights spend per resident?
About $1,314 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,201 was less than 81% of 21 Michigan cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Sterling Heights?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,628 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.32% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.25% across Michigan. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see sterlingheights.gov.
Who runs Sterling Heights’ government?
See sterlingheights.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Sterling Heights yet.
How did Sterling Heights vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 59.6%, Kamala D Harris 38.0% (73,757 votes, official results). Macomb County: Trump 55.9%, Harris 42.2%. Michigan: Trump 49.7%, Harris 48.3%.
How many people work for Sterling Heights?
516 full-time and 242 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $4.6M (about $54.9M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Sterling Heights in the state legislature?
Sterling Heights is split among 3 State House districts and 3 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Michigan Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Sterling Heights’ 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 →