What is the median rent in Sterling, MA?

Name: Median rent in Sterling, MA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

The median gross rent in Sterling, MA is $1,699 (±$161) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 415 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In Sterling, the median gross rent went from $1,304 in 2015–2019 to $1,699 in 2020–2024 (+30.3%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $1,699 (±$161)
Rented homes: 415 (±113)
$2,000 or more: 21.7%
Since 2015–2019: +30.3%

How much rent costs in Sterling

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	Sterling	Worcester County	Massachusetts	United States
Less than $500	7.2% (±11.1 points)	9.7%	10.2%	6.3%
$500 to $999	0.0% (±9.7 points)	15.5%	11.7%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	24.1% (±14.2 points)	29.2%	17.7%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	47.0% (±19.0 points)	24.5%	19.9%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	11.6% (±16.6 points)	12.2%	16.7%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	10.1% (±13.3 points)	5.6%	10.5%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	0.0% (±9.7 points)	3.3%	13.3%	6.8%

The most common range is $1,500 to $1,999, paid by 47.0% of renting households.

21.7% of rented homes in Sterling cost $2,000 or more a month.

Sterling against Worcester County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Sterling	Worcester County	Massachusetts	United States
Median gross rent	$1,699 (±$161)	$1,426 (±$19)	$1,762 (±$9)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	415 (±113)	110,390 (±1,546)	1,006,980 (±6,692)	42,849,984

In Sterling, median gross rent is higher than in Worcester County ($1,426).

It is not measurably different from Massachusetts ($1,762).

It is higher than the national figure ($1,413).

In Worcester County, Sterling ranks 14 of 60 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 145 of 333.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How rent in Sterling has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Median gross rent	$1,304 (±$166)	$1,699 (±$161)	+30.3%	No measurable change after inflation
Households that rent	9.5% (±4.0 points)	13.7% (±4.0 points)	+4.2 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Rental vacancy rate	0.0% (±12.4 points)	3.4% (±6.0 points)	+3.4 percentage points	Not a measurable change

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Median gross rent in places near Sterling

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Sterling
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
Sterling	—	$1,699 (±$161)	—
South Lancaster	4.1 mi	$1,893 (±$1,639)	Not measurably different
Clinton (community)	5.0 mi	$1,415 (±$75)	Lower
Clinton	5.0 mi	$1,402 (±$76)	Lower
Leominster	5.0 mi	$1,354 (±$50)	Lower
Princeton	5.2 mi	$897 (±$852)	Not measurably different
West Boylston	5.4 mi	$1,261 (±$154)	Lower
Lancaster	5.7 mi	$2,338 (±$539)	Higher
Boylston	7.1 mi	$2,032 (±$350)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Clinton (community), MA ($1,415), Clinton, MA ($1,402), Leominster, MA ($1,354).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Lancaster, MA ($2,338).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Median gross rent across Worcester County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
8	Northborough	$1,919 (±$269)
9	Milford	$1,909 (±$137)
10	Westminster	$1,843 (±$268)
11	Mendon	$1,840 (±$196)
12	Ashburnham	$1,807 (±$1,421)
13	Hopedale	$1,788 (±$223)
14	Sterling	$1,699 (±$161)
15	Petersham	$1,679 (±$441)
16	Royalston	$1,650 (±$412)
17	Holden	$1,648 (±$214)
18	Millbury	$1,623 (±$232)
19	Bolton	$1,583 (±$1,426)
20	Uxbridge	$1,555 (±$265)

Showing 13 of 60 places in Worcester County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

What you can do on Seayora in Sterling

One account for renting, owning, managing and fixing homes, with these figures beside you.

Looking for a place to rent?

Browse homes for rent near Sterling, save the ones you like and apply online.

Browse rentals · Create a renter account

Own or manage a rental?

List it, sign the lease and collect rent online, with the figures for Sterling beside you.

Create a landlord account · See what landlords get

Do repairs, renovations or maintenance?

Get found by owners and renters near Sterling, and send estimates and invoices from your phone.

Join as a pro · Find a pro

Questions about Sterling

What is the average rent in Sterling, MA?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Sterling is $1,699 (±$161) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.

How much has rent gone up in Sterling?

In Sterling, the median gross rent went from $1,304 in 2015–2019 to $1,699 in 2020–2024 (+30.3%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

How many rentals in Sterling cost more than $2,000 a month?

21.7% of rented homes in Sterling have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 7.2% cost less than $500.

Is rent in Sterling higher than in Worcester County?

In Sterling, median gross rent is higher than in Worcester County ($1,426).

It is not measurably different from Massachusetts ($1,762).

It is higher than the national figure ($1,413).

Is this the rent for an apartment listed today?

No: these are rents households reported paying across 2020–2024, not asking rents for vacant homes, which usually run higher.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Sterling town, Worcester County, Massachusetts (county subdivision:67385, in state:25 county:027).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B25064_001E, B25064_001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP04_0126E, DP04_0126M, DP04_0127PE, DP04_0127PM, DP04_0128PE, DP04_0128PM, DP04_0129PE, DP04_0129PM, DP04_0130PE, DP04_0130PM, DP04_0131PE, DP04_0131PM, DP04_0132PE, DP04_0132PM, DP04_0133PE, DP04_0133PM

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.