What percentage of people rent in Sterling Heights, MI?

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

24.2% (±1.4 points) of the occupied homes in Sterling Heights, MI are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 12,530 renting households against 39,206 that own their home.

In Sterling Heights, the share of households that rent went from 27.0% in 2015–2019 to 24.2% in 2020–2024 (−2.8 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 24.2% (±1.4 points)
Renting households: 12,530 (±806)
Median renter income: $48,516 (±$5,927)

Who rents and who owns in Sterling Heights

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Sterling Heights	Macomb County	Michigan	United States
Renter-occupied share	24.2% (±1.4 points)	25.0% (±0.6 points)	26.8% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	12,530 (±806)	89,612 (±2,046)	1,092,179 (±7,674)	45,017,354
Owning households	39,206 (±1,033)	269,056 (±2,098)	2,984,190 (±12,886)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.1 (±0.1)	2.1 (±0.0)	2.1 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.7 (±0.1)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$48,516 (±$5,927)	$47,834 (±$1,685)	$42,352 (±$376)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$90,193 (±$3,308)	$91,083 (±$1,275)	$87,130 (±$344)	$100,009

In Sterling Heights, the renter share is not measurably different from Macomb County (25.0%).

It is also lower than in Michigan (26.8%).

It is lower than the national figure (34.8%).

In Macomb County, Sterling Heights ranks 12 of 23 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 298 of 1,520.

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

How renting 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
Households that rent	27.0% (±1.2 points)	24.2% (±1.4 points)	−2.8 percentage points	Measurable decrease
Median gross rent	$1,025 (±$36)	$1,292 (±$51)	+26.0%	No measurable change after inflation
Median household income	$64,833 (±$1,568)	$79,909 (±$3,056)	+23.3%	No measurable change after inflation

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.

Households that rent in places near Sterling Heights

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Sterling Heights
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Sterling Heights	—	24.2% (±1.4 points)	—
Utica	3.3 mi	40.9% (±6.8 points)	Higher
Fraser	5.2 mi	26.7% (±4.6 points)	Not measurably different
Clinton Charter Township	5.8 mi	34.4% (±1.6 points)	Higher
Troy	5.9 mi	26.7% (±1.5 points)	Higher
Warren	6.1 mi	28.9% (±1.4 points)	Higher
Madison Heights	6.3 mi	35.2% (±3.8 points)	Higher
Shelby Charter Township	6.4 mi	25.7% (±2.1 points)	Not measurably different
Clawson	6.8 mi	24.6% (±3.4 points)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Utica, MI (40.9%), Clinton Charter Township, MI (34.4%), Troy, MI (26.7%).

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

Households that rent across Macomb County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
6	Memphis	32.4% (±9.9 points)
7	Eastpointe	29.7% (±2.9 points)
8	Warren	28.9% (±1.4 points)
9	Harrison Charter Township	27.5% (±2.8 points)
10	Fraser	26.7% (±4.6 points)
11	Shelby Charter Township	25.7% (±2.1 points)
12	Sterling Heights	24.2% (±1.4 points)
13	Richmond	23.4% (±10.1 points)
14	Lenox Township	20.1% (±6.1 points)
15	Washington Charter Township	18.7% (±3.1 points)
16	Chesterfield Township	17.7% (±2.4 points)
17	St. Clair Shores	16.9% (±1.3 points)
18	New Baltimore	16.2% (±5.6 points)

Showing 13 of 23 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

How many renters are there in Sterling Heights?

Sterling Heights has an estimated 12,530 (±806) renting households, 24.2% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Sterling Heights?

In Sterling Heights, the share of households that rent went from 27.0% in 2015–2019 to 24.2% in 2020–2024 (−2.8 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

How big are renting households in Sterling Heights?

A renting household in Sterling Heights has 2.1 people on average, against 2.7 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Sterling Heights?

The median renting household in Sterling Heights, MI has an income of $48,516 (±$5,927) a year, against $90,193 for households that own their home.

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) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) 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 DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

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.