What is the median rent in Sterling Heights, MI?

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

The median gross rent in Sterling Heights, MI is $1,292 (±$51) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 12,069 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In Sterling Heights, the median gross rent went from $1,025 in 2015–2019 to $1,292 in 2020–2024 (+26.0%).

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: $1,292 (±$51)
Rented homes: 12,069 (±813)
$2,000 or more: 16.0%
Since 2015–2019: +26.0%

How much rent costs in Sterling Heights

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	Sterling Heights	Macomb County	Michigan	United States
Less than $500	4.9% (±1.9 points)	5.7%	8.3%	6.3%
$500 to $999	18.8% (±3.4 points)	22.2%	30.1%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	41.6% (±3.6 points)	46.3%	38.4%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	18.6% (±2.7 points)	17.5%	15.1%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	8.4% (±1.9 points)	5.2%	5.0%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	3.3% (±1.6 points)	1.4%	1.4%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	4.3% (±1.2 points)	1.7%	1.7%	6.8%

The most common range is $1,000 to $1,499, paid by 41.6% of renting households.

16.0% of rented homes in Sterling Heights cost $2,000 or more a month.

Sterling Heights against Macomb County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Sterling Heights	Macomb County	Michigan	United States
Median gross rent	$1,292 (±$51)	$1,211 (±$13)	$1,129 (±$4)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	12,069 (±813)	86,069 (±2,038)	1,032,697 (±7,764)	42,849,984

In Sterling Heights, median gross rent is higher than in Macomb County ($1,211).

It is also higher than in Michigan ($1,129).

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

In Macomb County, Sterling Heights ranks 6 of 22 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 190 of 1,305.

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

How rent in Sterling Heights 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	$1,025 (±$36)	$1,292 (±$51)	+26.0%	No measurable change after inflation
Households that rent	27.0% (±1.2 points)	24.2% (±1.4 points)	−2.8 percentage points	Measurable decrease
Rental vacancy rate	3.2% (±1.2 points)	5.0% (±1.9 points)	+1.8 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 Heights

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Sterling Heights
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
Sterling Heights	—	$1,292 (±$51)	—
Utica	3.3 mi	$1,131 (±$132)	Lower
Fraser	5.2 mi	$843 (±$49)	Lower
Clinton Charter Township	5.8 mi	$1,194 (±$26)	Lower
Troy	5.9 mi	$1,602 (±$51)	Higher
Warren	6.1 mi	$1,225 (±$27)	Lower
Madison Heights	6.3 mi	$1,176 (±$45)	Lower
Shelby Charter Township	6.4 mi	$1,346 (±$45)	Not measurably different
Clawson	6.8 mi	$1,253 (±$126)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Utica, MI ($1,131), Fraser, MI ($843), Clinton Charter Township, MI ($1,194).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Troy, MI ($1,602).

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

Median gross rent across Macomb County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
1	Macomb Township	$1,379 (±$66)
2	Bruce Township (Macomb County)	$1,362 (±$158)
3	Lenox Township	$1,360 (±$91)
4	Shelby Charter Township	$1,346 (±$45)
5	Eastpointe	$1,325 (±$58)
6	Sterling Heights	$1,292 (±$51)
7	Ray Township	$1,259 (±$832)
8	Roseville	$1,233 (±$54)
9	Warren	$1,225 (±$27)
10	Clinton Charter Township	$1,194 (±$26)
11	St. Clair Shores	$1,183 (±$76)
12	Washington Charter Township	$1,151 (±$99)

Showing 12 of 22 places in Macomb 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.

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Questions about Sterling Heights

What is the average rent in Sterling Heights, MI?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Sterling Heights is $1,292 (±$51) 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 Heights?

In Sterling Heights, the median gross rent went from $1,025 in 2015–2019 to $1,292 in 2020–2024 (+26.0%).

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 Heights cost more than $2,000 a month?

16.0% of rented homes in Sterling Heights have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 4.9% cost less than $500.

Is rent in Sterling Heights higher than in Macomb County?

In Sterling Heights, median gross rent is higher than in Macomb County ($1,211).

It is also higher than in Michigan ($1,129).

It is lower 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 Heights city, Michigan (place:76460, in state:26).

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.