Sterling leans heavily Republican by roughly 46 points: about 27% of voters vote Democratic and 73% Republican.
About 76% of adults in Sterling typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Sterling, ~21% vote Democratic, ~55% Republican, and ~24% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Sterling compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Sterling leans more Republican than 25 of 30 neighbors.
Sterling runs about 44 points more Republican than Michigan as a whole.
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.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Sterling, about 94% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 21 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 13% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 13 points below the Michigan average of 26%.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Sterling, MI sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Sterling looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Sterling is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 65%, about 5 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 90% of households in Sterling own their home, about 15 points above the U.S. average of 75%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Standish, MI R+38
- Omer, MI R+44
- Alger, MI R+42
- Bentley, MI R+50
- Skidway Lake, MI R+45
- Worth, MI R+43
- Twining, MI R+45
- Nine Mile, MI R+48
- Whites Beach, MI R+40
- Prescott, MI R+40
Cities with Similar Populations
- Mantorville, MN R+31
- Heber-Overgaard, AZ R+49
- Shell Lake, WI R+34
- Pulaski, PA R+43
- Lyons, MI R+41
- Belle Meade, TN R+14
- Lowry Crossing, TX R+21
- Leesburg, AL R+80
- Vienna, IL R+53
- Hudson, IA R+32
All Local Stats
Home Services
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Michigan Department 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.