| | Sterling, KS | Great Bend, KS | United States |
| Population | 2,496 | 14,864 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 49.6% | 51.7% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 50.4% | 48.3% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 27.5 | 36 | 38.4 |
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| Population - 2010 | 2,344 | 16,011 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 2,642 | 15,345 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 2,115 | 15,427 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | -17.6% | -2.9% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | 2.9% | -3.4% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 1,393.6 | 1,415.9 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 1.8 | 10.5 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 0.0 | 0.1 | 264,836.8 |
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| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Sterling, KS | Great Bend, KS | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 4.1% | 7.3% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 6.3% | 9.1% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 7.8% | 5.1% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 5.9% | 3.8% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 16.8% | 4.2% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 7.6% | 4.2% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 9.1% | 15.3% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 6.9% | 10.9% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 9.8% | 9.8% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 3.6% | 6.6% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 4.6% | 6.9% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 9.8% | 8.0% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 5.9% | 5.0% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 1.9% | 3.8% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Sterling, KS | Great Bend, KS | United States |
| White | 87.6% | 71.0% | 59.4% |
| Black | 2.6% | 1.5% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 0.2% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.2% | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.9% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 1.2% | 2.9% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 7.6% | 23.6% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Sterling, KS | Great Bend, KS | United States |
| Married Population | 42.8% | 47.6% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 42.5% | 46.6% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 0.2% | 1.0% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 57.2% | 52.4% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 42.6% | 30.3% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 9.2% | 14.1% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 5.4% | 8.0% | 5.6% |
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| Household Size | 2.56 | 2.52 | 2.60 |
| Households | 773 | 5,774 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 493 | 3,374 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 39.6% | 30.7% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 36.7% | 43.0% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 280 | 2,400 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 16.2% | 20.5% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 7.5% | 5.9% | 10.8% |