Commercial Real Estate Market in Sterling, MA
Updated monthly: sale, lease, property records, location trend, and more… · Last update: August 31
12 active listings and 188 off-market properties in Sterling, MA.
Market Trends
Sterling, MA spans 30.6 square miles in Worcester County, Massachusetts. Figures below refresh monthly; last updated 31 August 2026.
Office
Office vacancy in Sterling, MA runs 19.9% across the Northeast region in 2025, up from 13.1% in 2019.
Vacancy Rate % in Northeast region
Retail
Retail vacancy in Sterling, MA runs 6% across the Northeast region in 2025, little changed from 6% in 2019. Down from a 2020 peak of 7.1%.
Vacancy Rate % in Northeast region
Industrial
Industrial vacancy in Sterling, MA runs 7.6% across the Northeast region in 2025, up from 5.4% in 2019. Nearly 2.4x the 2021 low of 3.2%.
Vacancy Rate % in Northeast region
Multifamily
Multifamily space in Sterling, MA asks $216/SF to buy. Vacancy runs 5.6% across the Northeast region in 2025, up from 4% in 2022.
Average Sale Price $/SF
Listings
Vacancy Rate % in Northeast region
Zoning & Land Use
Land Use Mix share of zoned land by category
- Residential 92.7%
- Industrial 5.5%
- Commercial 1.2%
Largest Zones share of zoned land by district
Rural Residential Farming
Light Industrial
Neighborhood Residential
Commercial
Gateway Enterprise District
Sterling, MA zones 20,261 acres across 6 districts. Commercial zoning covers 1.2% of zoned land, residential 92.7% and industrial 5.5%. The largest single district is Rural Residential Farming at 87.5%. For commercial buyers the practical constraint is that only 6.7% of land carries a commercial or industrial designation.
Rural Residential Farming (RR)
RR) or Neighborhood Residence (NR) District. § 301-2.3.5. Accessory dwelling unit use. 1. Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) offer the potential for assisting homeowners to produce additional income to offset rising property taxes, maintenance and repair costs, and other housing expenses that are often a burden for some homeowners. ADUs also add tax revenue to…
Market overview
Demographics & Economy
Sterling, MA has 7,985 residents in 3,298 households. Density runs 261 people per square mile. Median household income here is $136,027 and median gross rent $1,606 a month.
7,985
Population
3,298
Households
2.4
Avg Household Size
48
Median Age
53%
College-Educated
95%
High-School Grad
30.6 sq mi
ZIP Area
261
Density / Sq Mi
$136,027
Median Household Income
$78,506
Median Earnings
$1,606
Median Rent
$467,400
Median Home Value
Tools
Nearby Markets
| Market | Average Sale Price, $/SF | Average Lease Price, $/SF/Yr |
|---|---|---|
| Clinton | — | — |
| West Boylston | — | $12.33 |
| Lancaster | — | — |
| Boylston | — | — |
Commercial property in Sterling, MA asks $726/SF.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average price per square foot for commercial property in Sterling?
Commercial property in Sterling, MA asks an average of $726 per square foot. The 5 most recent recorded sales traded at a median of $133/SF, so asking sits 447% above the achieved median. Multifamily carries the highest asking price at $216/SF.
What zoning applies to commercial property in Sterling?
Sterling, MA zones 20,261 acres across 6 districts, of which 1.2% is commercial and 5.5% industrial. The largest single district is Rural Residential Farming at 87.5% of zoned land. RR) or Neighborhood Residence (NR) District. § 301-2.3.5. Accessory dwelling unit use. 1. Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) offer the potential for assisting homeowners to produce additional income to offset rising property taxes, maintenance and repair costs, and other housing expenses that are often a burden for some homeowners. ADUs also add tax revenue to… Residential zoning covers 92.7% and open space 0%.
Where does Realmo's Sterling market data come from?
Realmo compiles Sterling, MA figures from 6 recent recorded sales, 12 active sale listings, 188 tracked off-market properties, the current Sterling zoning release. Sale and lease figures refresh monthly; vacancy annually. Last updated 31 August 2026.
Methodology & data sources
- Asking prices and averages
- Computed from 12 active for-sale and 0 active for-lease listings in Sterling, MA. These are ASKING figures from live listings, not closed-transaction prices, and a segment carried by a handful of listings reads as indicative rather than an average.
- Vacancy rates
- Published per-sector market series, taken at the metro level where one exists and otherwise at the Census-region level — a chart reading "in <region> region" is a regional number, not this city's.
- Zoning and land use
- The current municipal zoning release: 20,261 zoned acres across 6 districts. Shares are of zoned land, so parcels the release leaves unclassified are excluded from the mix.
- Refresh
- The monthly aggregates close at the end of the previous month, so 31 August 2026 — not today — is the honest last update.
- Known limitations
- office vacancy is reported at Northeast region level, retail vacancy is reported at Northeast region level, industrial vacancy is reported at Northeast region level and asking prices run materially above recent closed pricing.
- Coverage
- Metrics below the 10-observation threshold fall back one geographic level. The geography used is named on each figure.
Compiled by the Realmo Data team · reviewed 31 August 2026 · report a data issue
