Sterling is a city in Rice County, Kansas, home to about 2,411 people across 1.8 square miles. Its ZIP code is 67579.
Mostly Sterling
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| Nearest major airport | Tulsa International Airport (TUL)189 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | Salina Municipal Airport (SLN)50 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Wichita, KS59 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Dallas, TX383 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Sterling; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Sterling had 2,248 residents in the 2020 census, down 15% since 2000.
It’s the 109th largest of 721 towns in Kansas by population.
Rice County grew from 14,745 residents in 1900 to 9,427 in 2020.
Rice County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 93°F in summer, and winter lows average 20°F. About 29.1 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 9 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Sterling, KS weather station (about a mile away).
2,285 jobs at 265 businesses in Rice County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
11 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Sterling.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 2 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 1 |
| Dentists | 1 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 1 |
| Mental health providers | 1 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 3 |
| Chiropractors | 2 |
| Pharmacies | 3 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (1 nearby)
Grocery stores (1 nearby)
Theaters and performance venues (1 nearby)
Counts are within about 1 mile of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Public schools here are run by Sterling. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling Grade SchoolSterling | Pre-K–6 | 268 | Public | 0.4 mi |
| Sterling Junior High/Senior HighSterling | 7–12 | 232 | Public | 0.2 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.