Sterling is a town in Vernon County,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, United States. The population was 713 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Purdy, Retreat, and West Prairie are located in the town.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the town has a total area of 45.5 square miles (117.7 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 713 people, 234 households, and 179 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 15.7 people per square mile (6.1/km²). There were 278 housing units at an average density of 6.1 per square mile (2.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.44%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.14%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.14% Asian, and 0.28% from two or more races. There were 234 households, out of which 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.9% were married couples living together, 2.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.5% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.00 and the average family size was 3.54. In the town, the population was spread out, with 35.2% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $28,125, and the median income for a family was $31,563. Males had a median income of $23,958 versus $19,583 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $13,402. About 14.5% of families and 24.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 33.2% of those under age 18 and 27.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Robert A. Nixon, Wisconsin State Representative and lawyer, was born in the town'Wisconsin Blue Book 1933,' Biographical Sketch of Robert A. Nixon, pg. 228

References

{{authority control Towns in Vernon County, Wisconsin Towns in Wisconsin