Health care · Small-town market · Illinois
Medical and dental practices in the Sterling, IL area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for medical and dental practices in the Sterling, IL area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 65 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #130 of 538 scored small-town markets
#6 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois
- Listings
- 138
- 27 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 39
- −4.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $30.4M
- On medical and dental services · $1,316 a household
- Spending per listing
- $220K
- 45% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 59.7
- 29% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 54,121
- −2.6% since 2020
See the medical and dental practices around any address in the Sterling area
The site report maps the medical and dental practices on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of the Sterling area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Map listings as of September 2026 show 138 medical and dental practices in the Sterling area. Of those, 27 are chain locations, or 20%, against 11% across the U.S. That comes to 59.7 for every 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 84.5.
Households in the Sterling area spend about $30.4M a year on medical and dental services, or $1,316 per household, 2% above the U.S. average. That is about $220K of household spending for each practice on map listings, 45% above the U.S. figure of $152K.
In 2023, official counts showed 39 businesses with payroll in the Sterling area classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers, down 4.9% from 2019. That is one for every 593 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. Another 10 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates show the Sterling area declined 2.6% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for medical and dental practices in the Sterling area is 65 (upper middle), #130 of 538 scored small-town markets and #6 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Sterling area compares
The same measures for Illinois and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all medical and dental services by the medical and dental practices counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Sterling area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 59.7 | 102.3 | 84.5 |
| Spending per listing | $220K | $148K | $152K |
| Households per official establishment | 593 | 269 | 270 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −4.9% | +0.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.6% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on medical and dental services | $1,316 | $1,517 | $1,288 |
| Median household income | $67,500 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 65 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 39−4.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 166
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 10Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 13827 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 200The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in the Sterling area, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in the Sterling area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 54,121−2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 23,120
- Median age
- 43.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 684 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 80
- Median household income
- $67,500+24.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,592
- Median home value
- $127,100
- Jobs located here
- 20,819
- Daytime population
- 50,543Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Sterling area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the medical and dental practices on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Sterling area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardDoctors, dentists and clinics across Illinois
Every Illinois market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Illinois for medical and dental practices, numbered among those based in Illinois, with the Sterling area marked.
Top small-town markets in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Taylorville, IL | 76 | 57 | 42.0 | $309K | −1.5% | #40 of 538 |
| 2Lincoln, IL | 74 | 50 | 44.4 | $299K | −2.5% | #55 of 538 |
| 3Rochelle, IL | 74 | 105 | 50.4 | $284K | −0.7% | #58 of 538 |
| 4Canton, IL | 69 | 52 | 37.7 | $340K | −2.0% | #93 of 538 |
| 5Pontiac, IL | 66 | 103 | 70.5 | $197K | −2.1% | #126 of 538 |
| 6Sterling, IL | 65 | 138 | 59.7 | $220K | −2.6% | #130 of 538 |
| 7Danville, IL | 64 | 143 | 47.5 | $263K | −3.7% | #136 of 538 |
| 8Freeport, IL | 63 | 89 | 46.0 | $280K | −3.0% | #142 of 538 |
| 9Dixon, IL | 59 | 82 | 61.5 | $221K | −3.4% | #179 of 538 |
| 10Charleston-Mattoon, IL | 57 | 126 | 60.5 | $204K | −1.0% | #204 of 538 |
Other business types in the Sterling area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
- Doctors, dentists and clinics65
- Dentists and orthodontists64
- Primary care and pediatrics77
- Urgent care and walk-in clinics
- Chiropractors23
- Physical therapy71
- Optometrists and eye care61
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many medical and dental practices are in the Sterling, IL area?
There are 138 medical and dental practices on map listings in the Sterling area as of September 2026. 27 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count every outpatient clinic and practice, and urgent care. Official counts show 39 businesses with payroll classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in 2023, down 4.9% from 2019. Official counts list 10 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Sterling, IL area spend on medical and dental services?
About $30.4M a year, or $1,316 per household. That is 2% above the U.S. average (an index of 102, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 138 medical and dental practices on map listings, it comes to $220K per practice. It is estimated from the incomes of the 23,120 households in the Sterling area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Sterling, IL area compare with the U.S. for medical and dental practices?
The Sterling area has 59.7 medical and dental practices per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 84.5. Spending per practice is $220K, 45% above the U.S. figure of $152K. At the national ratio of medical and dental practices to household spending, the Sterling area would have about 200, against 138 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 593 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Sterling, IL area growing?
Population estimates put the Sterling area at 54,121 people in 2025, down 2.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 23,120 households. Median household income in the Sterling area is $67,500, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.5%, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. The Sterling area scores 65 for medical and dental practices (upper middle), #130 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Sterling area. It maps the medical and dental practices on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for medical and dental practices · All 56 business types in the Sterling area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Sterling area?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of the Sterling area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.