| | Sterling, KS | Palmdale, CA | United States |
| Unemployment Rate | 2.9% | 15.6% | 6.0% |
| Recent Job Growth | -0.9% | 0.7% | 1.6% |
| Future Job Growth | 22.5% | 30.5% | 33.5% |
| Sales Taxes | 8.5% | 9.5% | 6.2% |
| Income Taxes | 5.7% | 8.0% | 4.6% |
| Income per Cap. | $20,330 | $24,845 | $37,638 |
| Household Income | $48,092 | $70,858 | $69,021 |
| Family Median Income | $62,375 | $74,639 | $85,028 |
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| Est. Households By Income | | | |
| | Sterling, KS | Palmdale, CA | United States |
| Income Less Than 15K | 13.5% | 8.9% | 9.4% |
| Income between 15K and 20K | 6.5% | 3.6% | 3.8% |
| Income between 20K and 30K | 8.8% | 6.8% | 8.1% |
| Income between 30K and 40K | 9.3% | 8.9% | 8.0% |
| Income between 40K and 50K | 13.8% | 7.4% | 7.6% |
| Income between 50K and 60K | 9.7% | 6.9% | 7.2% |
| Income between 60K and 75K | 9.6% | 10.5% | 9.6% |
| Income between 75K and 100K | 13.5% | 15.6% | 12.8% |
| Income between 100K and 150K | 12.5% | 18.2% | 16.3% |
| Income between 150K and 200K | 1.3% | 7.2% | 7.8% |
| Income greater than 200K | 1.6% | 6.1% | 9.5% |
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| Population By Occupation | | | |
| | Sterling, KS | Palmdale, CA | United States |
| Management, business, finance | 10.3% | 9.9% | 16.4% |
| Engineering, computers, science | 2.0% | 3.5% | 6.5% |
| Community, social services | 5.2% | 1.8% | 1.8% |
| Legal | 0.0% | 0.3% | 1.2% |
| Education, library | 12.3% | 5.4% | 6.2% |
| Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment | 5.1% | 1.3% | 2.0% |
| Healthcare practitioners and technology | 3.3% | 4.7% | 6.2% |
| Healthcare support | 4.7% | 6.5% | 3.3% |
| Firefighters, law enforcement | 3.0% | 3.4% | 2.1% |
| Food preparation, serving | 8.8% | 5.0% | 5.4% |
| Building maintenance | 3.6% | 4.8% | 3.6% |
| Personal care | 2.5% | 2.7% | 2.6% |
| Sales, office, administrative support | 19.9% | 22.1% | 20.9% |
| Farming, fishing, forestry | 1.2% | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair | 3.5% | 11.9% | 8.1% |
| Production, transportation, material moving | 14.7% | 16.2% | 13.1% |