Five Mile Old Fashion Holiness Church, 2016
Sterling Township’s story
Sterling Township in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2015 and 4 maps from 1917 on.
Explore the history →
Sterling TownshipOH
A town of 4,804.
4 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Population
4,804
2025 Census estimate · +2% since 2020
Median home value
$226K
Census ACS
Household income
$78K
median
Median age
42.0
years
Jobs based here
253
A commuter town
TownGrade
C+
#702 of 987 in OH
Is Sterling Township a good place to live?
Sterling Township gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $226K, 2.8 years of the Cincinnati metro’s $81K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 702nd among Ohio's 987 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 85% of the country. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 96% of U.S. towns. On the outdoors, just 52 of Ohio’s 1,718 towns do worse. 87% of households own their home in Sterling Township, above both Ohio’s towns (77%) and U.S. towns (73%).
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Sterling Township for work
Where Sterling Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
253jobs based in Sterling Township
1%of working residents work in town
23 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Sterling Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Sterling Township is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.4 of 20; 5% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitD−Open →HealthMercy Health - Clermont Hospital 8.6 miles awayC−Open →Cost of livingA−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 41% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listBOpen →SchoolsBeat 59% of Ohio districts on tests and graduationBOpen →Jobs & incomeB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksD−Open →HistoryCOpen →Civic life3.2 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
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.
PowerDuke Energy16.8¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterMount Orab Village PWSNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet8 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Sterling Township’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Ohio you can register online until 30 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereDirector, Brown County Board of ElectionsBrown County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Dec 2025
ZIP codes45176, 4515445176 53% · 45154 47%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Sterling Township.
HealthC−
Sterling Township earns a C− for health
20% of Sterling Township adults smoke cigarettes. Sterling Township beats the Ohio average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 28% of Sterling Township adults have been diagnosed with depression.
15%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Sterling Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 28% | 25% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 36% |
32 measures vs. Ohio
0 better24 too close to call8 worse
| What stands out | Sterling Township | OH |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 19.8% | 15.4% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19% | 15.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.9% | 8% |
Mercy Health - Clermont Hospital
8.6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
22nd
percentile among OH towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
Most working residents commute out of Sterling Township
Sterling Township has 253 jobs for its 2,097 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Sterling Township for work: only 1% work in town. Jobs based in Sterling Township grew to 253 in 2023, 92 more than in 2013. Sterling Township’s average trip to work is 27 minutes.
1%work in town
| Sterling Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.1% | 6.9% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.9% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Sterling Township1%
Cincinnati9%
Mount Orab7%
Union Township6%
Batavia Township5%
23 mi
median commute distance
253
jobs based in Sterling Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 4% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Sterling Township has four seasons and pleasant summers
Sterling Township has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 22° and about 18 inches of snow falls in a winter.
18″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter25–42°
Spring42–64°
Summer62–84°
Fall44–67°
Oct 18
typical first frost
Apr 23
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Sterling Township
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 59% of U.S. communities.
41risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingStrong windTornadoes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sterling Township
17pages on Sterling Township
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Sterling Township
About 7 of every 100 Sterling Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Ohio.
About Sterling Township
Township in Ohio, US
Sterling Township is one of the sixteen townships of Brown County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census recorded 4,602 people in the township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 28 sq mi
- Elevation
- 922 ft
Sterling Township’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Sterling Township.
Green TownshipPike TownshipJackson TownshipPerry TownshipSterling Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling Township | #702 | C+ | A− | — | B | C− |
| Green Township | #895 | C− | B+ | — | B | D |
| Pike Township | #782 | C | B+ | — | B | D |
| Jackson Township | #417 | B+ | A | — | B+ | C |
| Perry Township | #473 | B | A− | — | B | C |
Sterling Township, Green Township, Pike Township, Jackson Township and Perry Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Sterling Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Sterling Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sterling Township, OH a good place to live?
Sterling Township grades C+ overall, better than 41% of U.S. towns and #702 of 987 in Ohio. It grades C− for health and B for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Sterling Township, OH expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.