Living in Sterling City, Texas: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 12.2% below the U.S. average in the parts of Texas outside metro areas.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Sterling City to say.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Sterling City itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town2 public schools: 1 K-12 and 2 other.
A hospital close byMitchell County Hospital District in Colorado City, about 39 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityAustin is about 219 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Sterling City meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $134,800U.S.: $332,700
Typical rent, with utilities: $952 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Homes owned by the people living in them: 78%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $2,021 a yearTexas: $4,232
Homes built before 1940: 3%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 6%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 4%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 87.8U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Texas outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Texas outside metro areas, not Sterling City alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 1,0942020: 1,120
Median age: 29.9 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 13%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 36%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 20%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 5%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Farming, forestry and mining (27%); schools, health care and social services (18%); government (18%)
Unemployment rate: 3%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 24 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 5%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 4%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Mitchell County Hospital District, Colorado City, TX, about 39 miles away. It's a critical access hospital (a small rural hospital with 25 or fewer beds). Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

Nearest general hospital: Scenic Mountain Medical Center, Big Spring, TX, about 41 miles away. Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

2 public schools in Sterling City, run by Sterling City Isd.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Texas's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 52%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 90%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 30°F
July average high: 94°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 104 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 72 a year
Rain and melted snow: 20.4 inches a year
Snow: 2 inches a year
Elevation: 2,286 feet

Weather station: Sterling City (less than a mile away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Mitchell County Hospital DistrictEmergency room39

San Angelo, TXCity of 101,00042

Austin, TXMetro of 2.6 million219

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Mitchell County Hospital District, San Angelo, Austin.

Sterling County is outside any metro area, with fewer than 5,000 people in its towns, next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 8, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.

Read about Sterling City's history on Wikipedia.

Know Sterling City?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Robert Lee, TX1,100 people, 30 miles
Grape Creek, TX4,000 people, 31 miles
Colorado City, TX3,900 people, 39 miles
Big Spring, TX22,000 people, 40 miles
Roscoe, TX1,200 people, 49 miles
Stanton, TX2,700 people, 51 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.