Sterling, VA

Single-footprint Census roll-up for Sterling, VA: 3 USPS ZIPs, population 79,651. Open the primary ZIP for household income, housing tenure, and commute from ACS 2023 5-Year Estimates.

U.S. Census Bureau, SimpleMaps US ZIP Code Database, delivery-area ZIP coverage

ACS city ledger plate

Sheet STERLING-VA · Sterling, VA 3 ZIPs · 79,651 pop · #853/25278 · Loudoun County

INC-TOP · RANK-TOP · PHOTO-FINISH · BOOK-FEW · OWN-MID · POP-SMALL · SPREAD-MOD · HOME-HIGH

  • INC-TOP $150,712
  • RANK-TOP #853/25278
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Lovettsville
  • BOOK-FEW 3 ZIPs
  • OWN-MID 67% owners
  • POP-SMALL 79,651
  • SPREAD-MOD 20166→20165
  • HOME-HIGH $622,633

Nearest income peer: Lovettsville, VA (+ $771 income $)

Instrument codes from this city’s ACS household income, national rank, county-peer gap, ZIP book, owner tenure, population scale, intra-city income spread, and home-value band, not a moving recommendation.

Income neighbourhood around Sterling

Lowest/highest poles plus county-sharing cities nearest Sterling on average ZIP median household income. Full ladder: /cities.

median HH income

What this shows County-sharing peers only, not the full US city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the mosaic is wide.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-25

National city placement

According to ACS 5-Year Estimates, Sterling, VA sits among US cities with a top-decile household income, on a small-city population base, across a handful of delivery areas.

Top 3%
household income vs 25,278 US cities
79,651
city population (Census)
3
USPS ZIP codes covered
$150,712
avg ZIP median income

Income percentile ranks this city's average ZIP median household income against 25,278 US cities with ACS income on at least one ZIP. Scale and ZIP-spread words come from Census population and USPS ZIP coverage.

High-income footprint on only 3 ZIPs: the city page and the ZIP page nearly coincide. Headline income $150,712 and home value $622,633 should be read as near-neighborhood numbers ; bachelor's attainment averages 56.8%.

Owner-occupancy sits in a mixed band (67.4%) - check the ZIP page's tenure split before treating Sterling as a pure owner town.

Within Virginia, Fairfax is the closest lower-income city and Lovettsville the closest higher-income city by average ZIP household income. Their 4 and 1 ZIP footprints are the immediate statewide comparison set for Sterling.

Within-city ZIP comparison

Where the ZIP codes inside Sterling differ

The published income range is comparatively compact across the ZIPs in Sterling: $133,401 in ZIP 20166 to $183,076 in 20165. The city average is therefore a more representative summary here, though each ZIP page still carries its own housing and demographic record.

Income high-to-low ratio
1.4×

20166 to 20165

Home-value high-to-low ratio
1.3×

20164 to 20165

Poverty-rate spread
4.4 points

20165 to 20164

Derived from the published ACS 2023 ZIP-level records shown on this site. A high-to-low ratio compares the highest and lowest available ZIP values; it is not a score or forecast.

Population concentration

Lead ZIP 20164 skews compact Sterling

In this 3-ZIP cluster, 20164 covers about 47% of Sterling's 79,651 residents. City averages lean toward that lead; open a thinner sibling ZIP for the contrast the mean hides.

Census ZBP business roll-up

Employer-heavy short list in Sterling

Citywide ZBP: 3,572 establishments, 84,696 employees , annual payroll $6,234,839k (~45 establishments per 1,000 residents) across 3 of 3 ZIPs. Peak business ZIP 20166 (1,902 units) ; leading NAICS Professional, scientific, and technical services (711) · also Construction · Retail trade .

View your shortlist →

ZIP Codes in Sterling, VA

These ZIP codes sit in Loudoun County, which covers 17 ZIP codes in all; 3 of them fall in Sterling. See the Loudoun County roll-up →

Sterling sits in the lower half of Loudoun County on income: Ashburn, Leesburg and Chantilly report more, and only Middleburg reports less. Paeonian Springs marks the far end of that range at $250,000+, 66% above Sterling.

Side-by-side: Compare 20164 vs 20165 →

ZIP Code Population Median income Establishments Density
20164 37,747 $135,660 930 1,966
20165 32,383 $183,076 740 1,273
20166 9,521 $133,401 1,902 211

Sterling roll-ups here are for informational purposes only and do not constitute financial or relocation advice. ACS and Census ZBP figures are estimates; confirm the current table against Census before a money or move decision involving Sterling, .