Sterling County Demographics

A map of Sterling County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	922	867	62.8%	63.2%
Hispanic	524	449	35.7%	32.7%
Multiracial	14	44	1.0%	3.2%
Native American/Other	4	8	0.3%	0.6%
Black	2	3	0.1%	0.2%
Asian	2	1	0.1%	0.1%

Sterling County, Texas has an estimated population of 1,468, an increase from the 1,372 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 62.8% White, 35.7% Hispanic, 1.0% Multiracial, 0.3% Native American/Other, 0.1% Black, and 0.1% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Sterling County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Sterling has become less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Texas overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Sterling County, that probability was 49.3% in 2020 and 47.8% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Sterling County is ranked the 238th most populous county in Texas, out of 254 counties. Sterling County was ranked the 242nd most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Sterling County's White Population

922 residents of Sterling County, or 62.8% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Sterling County is significantly higher than in Texas overall, where 39.1% of the population is White. Sterling County ranks 103rd statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 254 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Sterling County's White population has grown by an estimated 6.3%. White residents' share of Sterling County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 62.8%.

Sterling County is more White than neighboring Mitchell County (46.8% White), and Howard County (43.1% White). Sterling County is less White than neighboring Glasscock County (66.2% White), Coke County (75.2% White), and Irion County (68.3% White).

Sterling County's Black Population

2 residents of Sterling County, or 0.1% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Sterling County is considerably lower than in Texas overall, where 11.9% of the population is Black. Sterling County ranks 234th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 254 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Sterling County's Black population has declined by an estimated 33.3%. Black residents' share of Sterling County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.1%.

Sterling County is more Black than neighboring Glasscock County (0% Black). Sterling County is less Black than neighboring Mitchell County (8.2% Black), Coke County (1.2% Black), and Howard County (4.5% Black).

Sterling County's Asian Population

2 residents of Sterling County, or 0.1% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Sterling County is lower than in Texas overall, where 5.5% of the population is Asian. Sterling County ranks 235th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 254 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Sterling County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 100.0%. Asian residents' share of Sterling County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.1%.

Sterling County is more Asian than neighboring Glasscock County (0% Asian), and Irion County (0% Asian). Sterling County is less Asian than neighboring Mitchell County (1% Asian), Coke County (0.2% Asian), and Howard County (1% Asian).

Sterling County's Hispanic Population

524 residents of Sterling County, or 35.7% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Sterling County is slightly lower than in Texas overall, where 39.7% of the population is Hispanic. Sterling County ranks 103rd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 254 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Sterling County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 16.7%. Hispanic residents' share of Sterling County's population has increased from 32.7% to 35.7%.

Sterling County is more Hispanic than neighboring Glasscock County (27% Hispanic), Coke County (21.1% Hispanic), and Irion County (27.5% Hispanic). Sterling County is less Hispanic than neighboring Mitchell County (38.8% Hispanic), and Howard County (47.7% Hispanic).

Sterling County's Native American/Other Population

4 residents of Sterling County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Sterling County is comparable to the share in Texas overall, where 0.6% of the population is Native American/Other. Sterling County ranks 162nd statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 254 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Sterling County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 50.0%. Native American/Other residents' share of Sterling County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.3%.

Sterling County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Glasscock County (0% Native American/Other), and Coke County (0% Native American/Other). Sterling County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Mitchell County (0.5% Native American/Other), Irion County (2.8% Native American/Other), and Howard County (0.5% Native American/Other).

Sterling County's Multiracial Population

14 residents of Sterling County, or 1.0% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Sterling County is slightly lower than in Texas overall, where 3.1% of the population is Multiracial. Sterling County ranks 105th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 254 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Sterling County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 68.2%. Multiracial residents' share of Sterling County's population has decreased from 3.2% to 1.0%.

Sterling County is less Multiracial than neighboring Glasscock County (6.8% Multiracial), Mitchell County (4.8% Multiracial), Coke County (2.3% Multiracial), Irion County (1.2% Multiracial), and Howard County (3.1% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.