Sterling, IL · Updated Oct 2026

What a Sterling home costs each year

Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.

Suggestions as you type come from Google; the lookup uses free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.

Example · a Sterling house

$7,366a year · $614 a month

Starts at $36,233 of value before exemptions. Typical use.

Property tax$3,071
10.157% of $36,233, less $6,000 general homestead exemption, reduces assessed value by up to
Electricity and gas$1,832
609 kWh a month $1,339 · 31 therms $493
Water and sewer$2,208
9 units (CCF) a month on Illinois American Water, Sterling District: water $107, sewer $77 a month
Trash$255
One refuse charge per unit (garbage, recycling and yard waste), $21 a month
Home insuranceNot included
We don't have a typical premium for this city yet. Add yours with Adjust.

A typical Sterling house costs about $7,400 a year: $3,070 property tax and charges, $2,210 water and sewer, $260 trash, $1,830 electricity and gas; home insurance is not included (no typical premium yet). Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 30, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.

Ways to pay less

Nothing here applies to every house automatically. These are worth checking:

General Homestead Exemption
Reduces assessed value by up to $6,000 for owners who live in the home as their principal residence on January 1 of the assessment year.
How: See the Whiteside County homestead exemptions page.
Disabled person's exemption
A reduction of $2,000 in assessed value for disabled homeowners whose home is their principal residence.
How: See the Whiteside County homestead exemptions page.
Returning veterans
A $5,000 reduction in assessed value for veteran homeowners the year they return home from an armed conflict.
How: See the Whiteside County homestead exemptions page.
Disabled veterans needing accessible housing
A reduction in the assessment of up to $100,000 for veteran homeowners with service-related disabilities that require housing designed to accommodate the disability.
How: See the Whiteside County homestead exemptions page.

Money dates

June and September each yearWhiteside County property tax bills are paid in two installments, due by June and September.

Who serves this house

Water: Illinois American Water, Sterling District; Tariff residential rate of $1.20026 per 100 gallons and 5/8-inch meter service charge of $25.29 a month, each plus the 0.86% Qualifying Infrastructure Plant surcharge on all water revenue (Central Division, effective April 1, 2026).
Property tax: 10.16% of value; 2025 tax year (payable 2026), Whiteside County, tax code 01005
Garbage: Republic Services (City contract); The City of Sterling contracts with Republic Services for solid waste services.
Sewer: City of Sterling; The City's wastewater service charges are set in Chapter 94 of the City code.
Electricity: ComEd; Commonwealth Edison provides electricity in Sterling.
Gas: Nicor Gas; Sterling, Whiteside County, is on Nicor Gas's list of municipalities.

Pay or manage your bills

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How these numbers are made

Property tax uses Whiteside County's 2025 rates (payable 2026) for tax code 01005 (City of Sterling, Sterling Unit School District 5, Sterling Park District, Sterling Township): 10.1571 per $100 of equalized assessed value, including Special Service Area No. 1. Tax codes with a fire district, TIF or different park or township differ; which code has the most homes was not published.
The starting value is one third of the Census median market value ($108,700 / 3) because Illinois taxes equalized assessed value at about 33.33% of market value. The $6,000 general homestead exemption comes off that value.
Water is Illinois American Water's Sterling District tariff: $25.29 a month for a 5/8-inch meter and $1.20026 per 100 gallons ($8.98 per CCF). The company's later rate filing for 2026 is shown as suspended in the tariff book, so the 2025 sheet applies; the Central Division (Sterling District) Qualifying Infrastructure Plant surcharge of 0.86% on all water revenue, effective April 1, 2026, is added to the fixed and per-unit charges. Sewer: $15.50 minimum basic user charge plus $3.00 debt service minimum is the monthly fixed charge, and $6.25 plus $0.25 per 100 cubic feet is the volume charge, from Ordinance 2026-04-09 effective May 1, 2026. Refuse: $21.25 a month (Ordinance 2026-04-10).
Electricity is ComEd single-family without electric space heat (same sheets and Price to Compare as other ComEd northern Illinois cities). Gas is Nicor Rate 1 ($21.30 a month plus 24.44 cents distribution and the October 2026 gas cost of 33 cents a therm); Sterling's 5.15% Nicor Rider 8 municipal utility tax is built into the gas fixed and per-therm figures. A Sterling municipal electricity tax is not stated in ComEd's sheets or any official page found, so none is included in the electric figures.
Not included: homeowners insurance (no official premium survey was found); the page assumes 9 CCF a month of water, which is higher than the 3,500 gallons a month (about 4.7 CCF) that Illinois American Water uses as a typical residential customer in its rate filings, so water and sewer totals may read high for a small household; stormwater has no separate Sterling charge found.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Sterling compares

A typical Sterling house against the 132 Illinois cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	Sterling	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	10.16%	8.23%	higher than 112 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover
Water	$1,284	$872	higher than 115 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$924	$535	higher than 106 of the other 123 Illinois cities we cover
Trash	$255	$283	lower than 81 of the other 127 Illinois cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$1,832	$2,163	lower than 117 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover
Total	$7,366	$11,701	lower than 125 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover

Cities bill differently (some put trash on the tax bill, some cover more services), so a higher number isn't necessarily worse. The property tax rate is compared instead of dollars because house values differ.

Questions to ask your candidates

Each one starts from a number above. Any candidate can answer them.

1. Property tax rate

The fact: Sterling's property tax rate is 10.16%, higher than 112 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.

Ask: "Property tax in Sterling is 10.16%, higher than 112 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover. What should that money pay for first, and would you change anything about how it is set?"

2. Water

The fact: Water here costs about $1,284 a year at typical use, higher than 115 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover.

Ask: "Water here costs about $1,284 a year at typical use, higher than 115 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

3. Sewer and utility-bill fees

The fact: Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here come to about $924 a year, higher than 106 of the other 123 Illinois cities we cover. Some cities bill sewer on the property tax bill instead, which is not counted here.

Ask: "Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here cost about $924 a year, higher than 106 of the other 123 Illinois cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

4. Electricity and gas

The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $1,832 a year, lower than 117 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.

Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $1,832 a year for a typical house, lower than 117 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover. Which parts of that can the city influence, and what would you do about them?"

Common questions about Sterling house costs

What is the property tax rate in Sterling?

About 10.16% of the value before exemptions a year (2025 tax year (payable 2026), Whiteside County, tax code 01005), plus flat charges on the same bill.

How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Sterling?

About $50,176 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the general homestead exemption, reduces assessed value by up to.

How much is the water bill in Sterling?

About $184 a month for water and sewer at typical use (9 units, or 6,732 gallons a month) on Illinois American Water, Sterling District.

How much does trash pickup cost in Sterling?

$21 a month for a house.

When is property tax due in Sterling?

June and September each year: Whiteside County property tax bills are paid in two installments, due by June and September.

How much does a house in Sterling cost to run each year?

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