City manager touts community’s income, valuation metrics

STERLING HEIGHTS — Sterling Heights continues to be one of Michigan’s top communities when it comes to income and property value.

At a Feb. 3 City Council meeting, City Manager Mark Vanderpool touted U.S. census data that shows Sterling Heights as the No. 7 place on a top-10 list of cities with the highest median household income in the state.

At $81,102, Sterling Heights is also tops in Macomb County. Median is statistical middle ground, meaning half of households earn above and half below. 

Referencing a recent news story centered on statewide median income, Vanderpool said the numbers are a timely reminder of the city’s good condition. 

“I wanted to show this data because I think it's really important and helps to illustrate the prosperity underway in the city of Sterling Heights,” he said. 

The nearby communities of Rochester Hills and Troy are Michigan’s leaders in median income at $127,505 and $118,720, respectively. Other communities in the top 10 are Novi, Farmington Hills, Royal Oak and Livonia. Sitting below Sterling Heights are Ann Arbor, St. Clair Shores and Holland.

Vanderpool said Sterling Heights is in “good company” with its prominent place on the median income list.

“I mention this because it is a measure of the prosperity agenda, if you will, that we've been talking about for years through our visioning 2030 plan and our visioning 2040 plan now,” he said. “These are all plans that have set the city on a course of prosperity.”

Another key measure for the city, Vanderpool said, is property value. Sterling Heights is in the top five statewide and ranks No. 1 overall in Macomb County based on the value of residential, commercial, industrial and personal property classifications. 

Residential valuation is $6,345,488,000, ranking behind only Macomb Township countywide. Commercial valuation is at the top countywide at $1,167,123,400 while industrial valuation is $726,207,500, second only to Warren in Macomb County.

“There’s a number of reasons for these very positive rankings, especially as it relates to median family income, and that's our plentiful high-tech manufacturing jobs in the city of Sterling Heights,” Vanderpool said, citing large employers like Ford Motor Co., Stellantis, BAE and General Dynamics, along with numerous other defense and auto suppliers. 

“This is what generates jobs,” he said. “This is what generates prosperity in the city of Sterling Heights, and it results in a very robust local economy. There's no doubt that that's the case here in Sterling Heights.”

City Councilman Robert Mijac told the Sentry he’s happy to see the positive financial statistics Vanderpool cited but said it doesn’t tell the whole story. 

“You can't just say, hey, we got a great median household income and think that everyone's doing just fine,” he said, noting the rising cost of things like groceries, utilities and health insurance, as well as challenges facing residents on fixed incomes. “You want to see the whole picture, not just part of the picture.”

Nonetheless, Mijac said positive prosperity metrics are always welcome.

“Certainly, Sterling Heights being ranked very high compared to other cities in the state is great news, he said.”

Call Staff Writer Gary Winkelman at (586) 498-1070.