Sterling, IL Metro Area — Elections 1876–2024

Sterling, IL, Illinois: Heartland Swing metro. In 2024, voted R+15%. Republican peak: R+67 in 1920.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin: R+15MIT Election Lab
Political typology: Heartland SwingAkashic typology
Population: 54,9472024 5-year
Median household income: $67,5002024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic): 85.1%2024 5-year
Black: 1.3%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino: 13.3%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin: D+18 in 2008MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin: R+67 in 1920MIT Election Lab

2024 presidential election

Sterling, IL

TrumpR+15

—

How it voted

Share of the 2024 vote

Donald Trump ✓Republican	56.3%	14,898
Kamala HarrisDemocratic	41.6%	11,012
OtherAll other candidates	2.0%	537

D+60

R+60

1 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin.

presidential history

Presidential margin, 1876–2024

Democratic minus Republican, by election

Presidential margin over time
Year	Margin (D minus R)
1876	No data
1880	No data
1884	No data
1888	No data
1892	−14.7%
1896	−32.7%
1900	−33.4%
1904	−51.6%
1908	−39.0%
1912	+7.2%
1916	−42.8%
1920	−67.3%
1924	−61.5%
1928	−53.6%
1932	−23.5%
1936	−22.0%
1940	−36.1%
1944	−43.3%
1948	−41.5%
1952	−46.8%
1956	−48.1%
1960	−31.3%
1964	−1.6%
1968	−28.7%
1972	−37.1%
1976	−11.8%
1980	−39.1%
1984	−19.6%
1988	−6.7%
1992	+8.0%
1996	+13.1%
2000	+6.6%
2004	+2.8%
2008	+17.6%
2012	+17.0%
2016	−6.2%
2020	−8.3%
2024	−14.7%

DemocraticRepublican

38 presidential elections

Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
Year	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
2024	R	−14.7%	11,012	14,898	26,447
2020	R	−8.3%	12,253	14,527	27,433
2016	R	−6.2%	11,035	12,615	25,582
2012	D	+17.0%	14,833	10,448	25,828
2008	D	+17.6%	15,607	10,883	26,906
2004	D	+2.8%	13,723	12,959	26,873
2000	D	+6.6%	12,886	11,252	24,837
1996	D	+13.1%	11,913	8,859	23,344
1992	D	+8.0%	12,329	10,146	27,153
1988	R	−6.7%	11,328	12,978	24,462
1984	R	−19.6%	11,226	16,743	28,096
1980	R	−39.1%	7,191	17,389	26,064
1976	R	−11.8%	11,255	14,308	25,854
1972	R	−37.1%	7,909	17,305	25,301
1968	R	−28.7%	8,132	15,177	24,534
1964	R	−1.6%	12,536	12,940	25,476
1960	R	−31.3%	9,112	17,434	26,592
1956	R	−48.1%	6,158	17,589	23,784
1952	R	−46.8%	6,238	17,294	23,599
1948	R	−41.5%	5,299	12,922	18,375
1944	R	−43.3%	5,555	14,162	19,888
1940	R	−36.1%	7,356	15,752	23,242
1936	R	−22.0%	7,982	12,666	21,243
1932	R	−23.5%	7,010	11,388	18,626
1928	R	−53.6%	4,079	13,580	17,728
1924	R	−61.5%	1,957	11,532	15,576
1920	R	−67.3%	1,927	10,923	13,363
1916	R	−42.8%	3,839	10,045	14,493
1912	O	+7.2%	1,996	1,437	7,711
1908	R	−39.0%	2,140	5,257	7,997
1904	R	−51.6%	1,546	5,636	7,919
1900	R	−33.4%	2,758	5,663	8,687
1896	R	−32.7%	2,788	5,577	8,524
1892	R	−14.7%	2,779	3,819	7,072
1888	—	No data	—	—	—
1884	—	No data	—	—	—
1880	—	No data	—	—	—
1876	—	No data	—	—	—

Demographics

2024 ACS

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry

Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.

German

27.2%

Irish

13.7%

English

10.4%

American

6.2%

Polish

2.3%

Italian

2.2%

French

1.8%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.

2024 ACS

Age distribution by sex

Median age: 43.0 in this county, 39.1 nationally

Male

Age

Female

1.1%

85+

1.6%

2.8%

75–84

3.7%

6.1%

65–74

6.4%

6.9%

55–64

7.2%

6.2%

45–54

5.9%

5.6%

35–44

5.6%

5.7%

25–34

5.4%

4.1%

18–24

3.6%

8.4%

5–17

8.1%

2.9%

2.6%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

2024 ACS

Median household income

Inflation-adjusted dollars

$67,500

Sterling, IL ranks near the middle of US counties.

Sterling, IL$67,500

Illinois$83,390

United States$80,734

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

2024 ACS

Poverty rate

All persons below federal poverty line

12.0%

Children face moderate poverty.

Children under 1817.7%

Working age (18–64)10.2%

Seniors (65+)12.0%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

2024 ACS

Language at home

Population aged 5 and older

92.8%

speak English only

Spanish5.8%

Other Indo-European1.0%

Asian & Pacific Islander0.3%

Other languages0.1%

Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.

2020 religion census

Religious adherents

Adherents per capita by tradition

Catholic & Orthodox

25.7%

Mainline Protestant

14.7%

Other Christian

13.4%

Methodist

5.7%

Pentecostal & Holiness

2.0%

Baptist

1.2%

Non-Christian

0.1%

Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 37.2% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

The Sterling-Rock Falls micropolitan area in Whiteside County leans Republican in federal races but has competitive local contests, reflecting a working-class industrial base that once anchored steel and wire production along the Rock River.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of eighteen points in 2008 and a Republican high of sixty-seven points in 1920. Between 2020 and 2024 the metro moved six points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was fifteen points.

A population of 54,947, a 85% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $67,500 describe the metro.

Compare two places, side by side

Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →

Cite this page

All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.

Sterling, IL, Illinois. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cbsa/44580/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.

License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Sterling, IL, Illinois vote in 2024?

In 2024, Sterling, IL, Illinois voted Republican by 14.7 points (R+15), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 26,447 votes cast, 11,012 went Democratic and 14,898 went Republican.

What is Sterling, IL, Illinois's political typology?

Akashic places Sterling, IL, Illinois in the "Heartland Swing" typology. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the metro has voted Democratic 6 times, Republican 27 times, and other 1 times.

When did Sterling, IL, Illinois last vote Democratic?

The most recent presidential election in which Sterling, IL, Illinois voted Democratic was 2012.

How many people live in Sterling, IL, Illinois?

Sterling, IL, Illinois has a population of 54,947 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.

What is the median household income in Sterling, IL, Illinois?

Median household income in Sterling, IL, Illinois is $67,500 — below the national median of $80,734. The Illinois state median is $83,390.

What is the political history of Sterling, IL, Illinois?

Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Sterling, IL, Illinois from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 27 went Republican. The metro's typology — "Heartland Swing" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.

Sterling, IL moved 6 points toward the Republican candidate between 2020 and 2024.

Key facts

Demographics

Compare two places, side by side

Frequently asked questions