How is Sterling run?
Sterling’s village government spent $406,000 on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $894 per resident. Water and other utilities ($91,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Sterling is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
About $894 per resident a year, or $2.45 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 53%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$894 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Sterling’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($894 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 472 Nebraska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,038, and the middle half spent $774–$1,452. Sterling spent less than 64% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($125,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Nebraska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Sterling itself left out).
No trend yet
Sterling reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,770 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.36% of the home’s value, vs 1.49% across Nebraska.
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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Sterling’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Sterling →
Who’s in charge in Sterling
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Sterling’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The village posts agendas and minutes on ci.sterling.ne.us ↗.
One full-time village employee for every 227 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (454).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
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 Public Schools
Sterling’s K–12 school district, shared with Douglas. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,938 per pupil, $10,558 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.
Nebraska districts overall: 56% local, 34% state, 10% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Sterling’s votes are counted by county
Nebraska reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Sterling alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Johnson County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican69.5%1,496 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat29.0%625 votesOthers: 1.4% (31 votes).
Most votes in Johnson County: Donald J Trump
Nebraska: Trump 59.3%, Harris 38.9%
100% of Sterling lies in Johnson County. Every 2024 race in Johnson County is on the county’s page.
Johnson 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.ne.us ↗
- 2Nebraska SenateState senator
- 3GovernorStatewide
- 4U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 5U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Nebraska
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
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 $894 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $894 was less than 64% of 472 Nebraska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Sterling?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,770 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.36% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Nebraska. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.sterling.ne.us.
Who runs Sterling’s government?
See ci.sterling.ne.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?
Nebraska counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Sterling alone. Johnson County, where 100% of Sterling lies, voted Trump 69.5%, Harris 29.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Sterling?
2 full-time and 5 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $16,081 (about $192,972 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Sterling in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (Bob Hallstrom). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
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 →