Michigan

Distance from Detroit to Sterling Heights

Straight-line distance

14.2mi

Detroit, MI and Sterling Heights, MI are 14.2 miles (22.8 km) apart in a straight line. From Detroit, the shortest path starts out heading NNE (15°).

kilometers
22.8
nautical miles
12.3
heading from Detroit
15° NNE
heading from Sterling Heights
195° SSW
DetroitSterling Heights

Orange line: great-circle path · ring: midpoint · thin lines: county borders

How far Detroit is from Sterling Heights

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Detroit and Sterling Heights is 14.2 miles, 22.8 km or 12.3 nautical miles. That is the shortest path over the Earth's surface, computed with the haversine formula on a sphere with the mean Earth radius, 6,371.0 km. A course held on one compass bearing (a rhumb line) would be 14.2 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
14.2
Kilometers
22.8
Nautical miles
12.3
Bearing from Detroit
15.0° NNE
Bearing arriving at Sterling Heights
15.0°
Bearing from Sterling Heights
195.0° SSW

Halfway between Detroit and Sterling Heights

The great-circle midpoint is at 42.482106, -83.066307 (42°28'55.58"N 83°03'58.70"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Center Line, MI, with 8,533 residents, 2.0 miles from the midpoint. To find towns near the midpoint of any two places, use the halfway tool.

Time zones and daylight

Both use America/Detroit, so there is no time difference. On June 21, Detroit gets 15 h 17 min of daylight and Sterling Heights 15 h 19 min; on December 21, 9 h 04 min and 9 h 03 min. The two sit at nearly the same latitude, so their day lengths match closely all year.

Population compared

Detroit has 4.8 times the population of Sterling Heights. From July 2020 to July 2024, Detroit changed by +1.1% and Sterling Heights by +0.2%. Both are in Michigan.

  1. 01Detroit, MI645,705 (+1.1%)
  2. 02Sterling Heights, MI134,342 (+0.2%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is Detroit from Sterling Heights?

14.2 miles, 22.8 km or 12.3 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Sterling Heights from Detroit?

NNE. The great-circle path leaves Detroit on a bearing of 15.0° and arrives at Sterling Heights on 15.0°. The return trip starts on 195.0°.

What is halfway between Detroit and Sterling Heights?

The midpoint is at 42.482106, -83.066307. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Center Line, MI, 2.0 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Detroit and Sterling Heights?

Both use America/Detroit, so there is no time difference.

Which is bigger, Detroit or Sterling Heights?

Detroit, with 645,705 residents in July 2024 against 134,342 for Sterling Heights, 4.8 times as many.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census 2024 Gazetteer internal points and Vintage 2024 estimates; time zones from Open-Meteo.

  1. 01Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
  2. 02Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  3. 03SunCalc library (Vladimir Agafonkin), algorithms after Jean Meeus
  4. 04IANA time zone database (clock times and daylight saving rules)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.