Housing Market Overview
The median home price (often called the average home price), rent costs, affordability metrics, and housing stock characteristics for this housing market.
Median Home Price Map: Nearby Counties
Housing Market Overview
| Metric | Sterling County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $300,000 | $248,418 | $242,182 |
| Price Trend (Annual %) | -2.3% | 9.9% | 8.2% |
| Median Gross Rent | $968 | $1,338 | $1,342 |
| Rent Trend (Annual %) | 2.9% | 5.7% | 5.1% |
| Household Income Trend (Annual %) | — | — | — |
The median home price in Sterling County is about 21% higher than in Texas. Rent is about 28% lower than the Texas average.
Median Home and Rent Price Trends
Median Home Prices, 2015-2018
Median Rent Prices, 2015-2023
Home prices and rent are moving in opposite directions in Sterling County: home prices fell about 2.3% a year while rent rose about 2.9% a year. That is an unusual pattern worth watching.
Median rent in Sterling County rose about 18.0% between 2015 and 2023, from $820 to $968. Over the same span, rent in Texas rose about 51.9%.
Affordability
On average, housing unit costs 3.5 yearly household incomes in Sterling County.
Buying the median-priced home in Sterling County costs roughly 25.8 years of rent at the median monthly rate. That is a relatively high price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor renting over buying in Sterling County. The price-to-rent ratio in Texas is about 15.5.
| Metric | Sterling County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $300,000 | $248,418 | $242,182 |
| Median Household Income | $85,416 | $76,510 | $78,145 |
| Price-to-Income Ratio | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.1 |
Home Prices vs Income Over Time
Between 2015 and 2018, the median home price in Sterling County rose about 144.1%, while median household income rose about 123.0% between 2009 and 2023 — the home price grew faster than income.
Income Growth vs Housing Cost Growth (Year-over-Year %)
Compare income and housing cost trends.
Occupancy & Tenure
| Metric | Sterling County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeownership Rate | 65.9% | 56.5% | 58.2% |
| Rental Rate | 13.2% | 33.8% | 31.3% |
| Vacancy Rate | 20.9% | 9.6% | 10.6% |
| Median Tenure (years) | 13.0 | 14.0 | 15.0 |
| Median Year Moved In | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 |
Sterling County has a homeownership rate of 65.9%, higher than the Texas average of 56.5%. Its housing vacancy rate is 20.9%, compared with 9.6% in Texas.
Housing Stock
| Metric | Sterling County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Household Size | 3.37 people | 2.70 people | 2.54 people |
| Median Structure Built Year | 1990 | 1989 | 1978 |
| Median Number of Rooms | 5.8 | 5.4 | 5.5 |
The typical housing unit in Sterling County was built around 1990. On average, 3.4 people live in a home with about 5.8 rooms, staying for about 13.0 years on average.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the housing market in Sterling County, Texas.
What is the median home price in Sterling County, Texas?
The median home price in Sterling County, Texas is $300,000, higher than the Texas average of $248,418.
What is the average home price in Sterling County, Texas?
The typical home price in %s, reported as the median sale price, is %s. The median is used instead of a mathematical average because it is not skewed by a small number of very expensive or very cheap homes, so it better reflects what a typical buyer pays.
What is the median rent in Sterling County, Texas?
The median gross rent in Sterling County, Texas is $968 per month, lower than the Texas average of $1,338.
What was the median gross rent in Sterling County in 2020?
In 2020, the median gross rent in Sterling County, Texas was $773 per month.
What is the price-to-rent ratio in Sterling County, Texas?
The price-to-rent ratio in Sterling County, Texas is about 25.8, meaning it would take roughly 25.8 years of rent payments at the median rent to equal the median home price. That is a relatively high price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor renting over buying in Sterling County.
Are home prices or rent rising faster in Sterling County, Texas?
Home prices and rent are moving in opposite directions in Sterling County: home prices fell about 2.3% a year while rent rose about 2.9% a year. That is an unusual pattern worth watching.
What is the homeownership rate in Sterling County, Texas?
65.9% of households in Sterling County, Texas own their home, higher than the Texas average of 56.5%.
What is the vacancy rate in Sterling County, Texas?
The housing vacancy rate in Sterling County, Texas is 20.9%, higher than the Texas average of 9.6%.