In 2025, Sterling Heights police reported 296 violent crimes (220 per 100,000 residents), including 1 murders, 11 robberies and 237 aggravated assaults, plus 1,548 property crimes, according to FBI data.
Population covered: 134,402. Violent-crime rate rank: 8 of 8 large Michigan cities on this site (1 = highest rate). Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer, agency MI5076500, January–December 2025.
| City | Violent / 100k | Violent | Murders | Property / 100k | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit | 1,654 | 10,622 | 165 | 3,895 | Live |
| Lansing | 1,337 | 1,535 | 6 | 2,095 | Totals |
| Grand Rapids | 894 | 1,793 | 13 | 2,316 | Totals |
| Warren | 497 | 682 | 3 | 1,358 | Totals |
| Clinton | 321 | 326 | 2 | 1,198 | Totals |
| Ann Arbor | 297 | 364 | 2 | 1,696 | Totals |
| Dearborn | 249 | 263 | 2 | 1,726 | Totals |
| Sterling Heights | 220 | 296 | 1 | 1,152 | Totals |
Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer agency counts for 2025 (all 12 months reported unless noted), retrieved October 7, 2026. Rates use the population the FBI lists for each police agency.
Sterling Heights's violent-crime rate of 220 per 100,000 people in 2025 was 47% lower than the Michigan rate (417) and 31% lower than the U.S. rate (320). That works out to one reported violent crime for every 454 residents, or about 5.7 a week.
Among the 362 cities with full-year FBI numbers on CityCrimeMap, Sterling Heights ranks 288th for violent crime, in the lower half, and 316th for murder (1 murder, 0.7 per 100,000).
Aggravated assaults made up 80% of Sterling Heights's violent crimes and robberies 4%, a smaller robbery share than the national 15%.
Property crime ran 1,152 per 100,000, 8% lower than Michigan overall. Sterling Heights police logged 211 vehicle thefts (157 per 100,000, 243rd of 351; Michigan: 182) and 87 burglaries (65 per 100,000, less than half the state).
The closest city we cover is Warren, 6 miles south; its violent-crime rate (497) is 2.3 times Sterling Heights's.
Out-of-state cities near Sterling Heights's size (134,402 residents): Santa Clara, CA at 172 violent crimes per 100,000 and Dayton, OH at 1,230.
By the FBI's 2025 numbers, Sterling Heights had 220 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 47% lower than the statewide 417. It is 8th highest of the 8 Michigan cities on this site; Detroit is highest at 1,654. A city-wide rate does not tell you about a single block.
Sterling Heights police reported 1 murder for 2025, a rate of 0.7 per 100,000 residents. The Michigan rate was 4.4 and the national rate 4.1.
211 vehicles were reported stolen in Sterling Heights in 2025, 157 per 100,000 residents. That is 19% lower than the national rate of 195 and ranks 243rd of 351 cities on this site.