Sterling, WI housing market
Builders were permitted 1 new home in 2025.
Home values, sales, trends and how Sterling compares with the towns next door — updated as new data is published.
1 new home permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 1 new home in Sterling in 2025. Over the past 10 years, Sterling has permitted 8 homes in all.
Show as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 2 | 2 | 0 | $734,000 |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $367,000 |
| 2024 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $310,000 |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2021 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $245,000 |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $278,000 |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2016 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $750,000 |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $150,000 |
| 2004 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2003 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2002 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $40,000 |
| 2001 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $40,000 |
| 2000 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $40,000 |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, through August 2026.
Sterling and its neighbors
| Town | Typical value | 1-yr change | 2-bed rent | New homes 2025 | Median income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling | — | — | $990 | 1 | $71,776 |
| Franklin | — | +5.4%† | $1,010 | 1 | $75,208 |
| Freeman | — | — | $970 | 4 | $57,083 |
| Wheatland | — | — | $970 | 3 | $67,411 |
| Harmony | — | — | $990 | 2 | $72,981 |
| Jefferson | — | +4.7%† | $1,020 | 6 | $92,214 |
| Genoa | $276K | +11.8% | $970 | 1 | $85,089 |
† FHFA price index change, where Zillow has no home value for the town.
Owners, rent & taxes
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 · figures for a place this size carry wide margins of error.
A two-bedroom rents for about $990
HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Sterling is $990 a month, utilities included: roughly what a modest, recently rented unit costs. Renters already in Sterling pay a median of $850, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Studio $690 · 4 bedrooms $1,480
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, FY2026 Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (54624, 54628, 54632, 54665; Vernon County, WI HUD Metro FMR Area), weighted by land area. A Fair Market Rent is the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Listings link to their publishers.