| | Sterling, VA | Chicago, IL | United States |
| Population | 31,202 | 2,742,119 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 48.9% | 51.2% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 51.2% | 48.8% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 34.4 | 35.1 | 38.4 |
| space3 | | | |
| Population - 2010 | 25,516 | 2,697,480 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 24,803 | 2,896,016 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 20,512 | 2,783,726 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | 38.4% | -7.5% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | 67.3% | -3.8% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 5,722.0 | 12,060.3 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 5.5 | 227.4 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 0.0 | 6.8 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Sterling, VA | Chicago, IL | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 7.1% | 5.9% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 6.6% | 5.4% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 6.2% | 5.8% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 4.4% | 3.3% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 4.0% | 3.6% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 6.8% | 6.0% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 15.5% | 19.8% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 17.1% | 14.3% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 11.9% | 11.9% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 5.5% | 5.8% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 5.0% | 5.4% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 7.1% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 2.0% | 3.6% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 0.8% | 1.6% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Sterling, VA | Chicago, IL | United States |
| White | 30.5% | 33.1% | 59.4% |
| Black | 6.3% | 28.8% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 16.1% | 6.8% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 1.8% | 2.2% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 44.8% | 28.7% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Sterling, VA | Chicago, IL | United States |
| Married Population | 54.4% | 37.8% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 50.9% | 35.5% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 3.5% | 2.3% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 45.6% | 62.2% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 34.4% | 48.9% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 8.1% | 8.3% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 3.2% | 5.0% | 5.6% |
| space5 | | | |
| Household Size | 3.25 | 2.41 | 2.60 |
| Households | 9,589 | 1,112,581 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 7,056 | 574,825 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 39.4% | 27.1% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 37.6% | 34.8% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 2,533 | 537,756 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 15.0% | 21.0% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 8.0% | 17.1% | 10.8% |