Sterling leans heavily Republican by roughly 44 points: about 28% of voters vote Democratic and 72% Republican.
About 72% of adults in Sterling typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Sterling, ~20% vote Democratic, ~52% Republican, and ~28% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Sterling compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Sterling is the least Republican-leaning.
Sterling runs about 55 points more Republican than Colorado as a whole. Colorado leans Democratic overall, while Sterling is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Sterling. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+66) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+32), a spread of about 34 points.
Why Sterling leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Sterling, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Sterling votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 51%, well above the Colorado average of 35%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Sterling runs against the grain of Colorado, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Sterling, CO sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Sterling looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Sterling is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Atwood, CO R+66
- Iliff, CO R+71
- Merino, CO R+76
- Willard, CO R+76
- Padroni, CO R+73
- Messex, CO R+72
- Fleming, CO R+68
- Proctor, CO R+68
- Union, CO R+68
- Stoneham, CO R+74
Cities with Similar Populations
- Bel Air, MD R+8
- New Milford, NJ D+3
- Rancho Mirage, CA D+15
- Oxford, PA R+10
- Three Lakes, FL R+15
- Auburn, MA D+6
- Clearlake, CA Even
- Brockport, NY Even
- Fairview, CA D+42
- Middleburg Heights, OH R+3
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Colorado Secretary of State, Elections, distributed by the Voting and Election Science Team. Demographic inputs come from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates and the 2020 Decennial Census). Health and environmental inputs come from the CDC (PLACES and the Environmental Justice Index). Land cover comes from the USGS and EPA. Election-day and lead-up weather come from PRISM 4km daily grids and the NOAA Global Historical Climatology Network. Mail-voting and election-administration patterns come from the MIT Election Lab's Survey of the Performance of American Elections. Block-group crime detail comes from CrimeGrade. Internet data and modeling support provided by ISPreports.org.
Modeling and analysis by the BestNeighborhood data science team. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.