Population 568 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Old Sparta
Household size in Old Sparta
| Period | Old Sparta | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.74 | 2.53 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.72 | 2.58 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.61 | 2.56 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.43 | 2.52 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.32 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
The average household in Old Sparta has 2.43 people, under the U.S. average of 2.65. Household size has dropped from 2.74 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Old Sparta
| Period | Old Sparta | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 37.2 | 37.9 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 44.0 | 38.9 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 41.7 | 40.2 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 51.7 | 40.3 | 40.1 |
| Change | +14.5 | +2.3 | +2.3 |
Old Sparta skews older: half of its residents are older than 51.7, well above the national median of 40.1. That usually means more empty nesters and retirees, and fewer young families.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Old Sparta
| Period | Old Sparta | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.6% | 12.3% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 13.7% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 16.9% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 16.0% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| Change | +4.3 pts | −1.0 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head nearly one in six households in Old Sparta (16.0%), well above the national share of 11.6%.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Old Sparta
Renters in Old Sparta
| Period | Old Sparta | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 23.7% | 31.9% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 25.3% | 34.2% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 30.4% | 34.8% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 20.0% | 33.4% | 34.8% |
| Change | −3.7 pts | +1.4 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 20.0% of households in Old Sparta rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. Among homeowners, 59.1% have no mortgage at all, well above the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Old Sparta
| Period | Old Sparta | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.9% | 12.8% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 13.9% | 12.8% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 10.7% | 12.5% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 12.8% | 11.4% | 9.6% |
| Change | +4.9 pts | −1.5 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy runs high in Old Sparta: 12.8% of homes are empty, against 9.6% nationally. The count includes vacation homes and homes between owners or tenants, not just abandoned ones. The picture is much the same across North Carolina.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Old Sparta
| Period | Old Sparta | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1983 | 1983 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1991 | 1985 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1991 | 1986 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1988 | 1990 | 1980 |
| Change | +4 | +7 | +6 |
Homes in Old Sparta are newer than the national norm: the median home was built in 1988, versus 1980 across the U.S. North Carolina as a whole looks much the same.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Old Sparta
| Period | Old Sparta | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $703 | $789 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $675 | $868 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $706 | $981 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $820 | $1,317 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$117 | +$528 | +$606 |
Rent in Old Sparta runs $820 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. Rent takes 26.0% of the typical renter's income, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Old Sparta
Bachelor's degrees in Old Sparta
| Period | Old Sparta | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.1% | 27.8% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 8.8% | 29.0% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 10.8% | 32.0% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 11.4% | 36.2% | 35.6% |
| Change | +1.2 pts | +8.4 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are relatively uncommon in Old Sparta: 11.4% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's or higher, well below the national share of 35.6%.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Old Sparta
| Period | Old Sparta | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 79.0% | 84.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 77.3% | 86.0% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 74.2% | 88.1% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 83.9% | 90.2% | 89.3% |
| Change | +4.9 pts | +5.7 pts | +4.3 pts |
About one in six adults in Old Sparta never finished high school, well above the national share: only 83.9% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% nationally.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Old Sparta
| Period | Old Sparta | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.6% | 8.8% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 13.3% | 10.6% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 7.6% | 5.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 10.3% | 4.8% | 5.4% |
| Change | −1.3 pts | −4.0 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Old Sparta runs well above the national rate: 10.3% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4%. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Old Sparta compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Sparta | 2.43 | 51.7 | 16.0% | 20.0% | 12.8% | 1988 | $820 | 11.4% | 83.9% | 10.3% |
| Wiggins Crossroads | 2.38 | 54.1 | 12.1% | 15.7% | 10.1% | 1989 | $641 | 11.3% | 81.4% | 7.0% |
| Mildred | 2.54 | 43.8 | 16.6% | 21.4% | 13.4% | 1973 | $905 | 4.7% | 89.2% | 9.1% |
| Conetoe | 2.56 | 48.6 | 16.8% | 19.5% | 15.6% | 1982 | $916 | 5.8% | 86.6% | 8.3% |
| Pinetops | 2.45 | 43.1 | 15.5% | 36.7% | 16.0% | 1983 | $895 | 18.4% | 84.7% | 11.3% |
| Princeville | 2.82 | 39.2 | 26.9% | 31.9% | 21.9% | 1995 | $1,102 | 8.5% | 85.9% | 7.8% |
| Dupree Crossroads | 1.94 | 58.2 | 13.1% | 16.0% | 7.4% | 1986 | $799 | 26.3% | 89.9% | 8.8% |
| Falkland | 2.12 | 54.1 | 17.0% | 17.8% | 7.6% | 1987 | $844 | 23.7% | 89.9% | 7.7% |
| Macclesfield | 2.29 | 40.7 | 25.2% | 19.7% | 11.0% | 1989 | $844 | 23.2% | 89.4% | 4.6% |
| St. Lewis | 2.08 | 62.4 | 11.3% | 37.7% | 12.8% | 1984 | $714 | 13.0% | 84.4% | 14.2% |
| Mercer | 2.48 | 41.5 | 11.7% | 31.5% | 15.3% | 1991 | $1,183 | 10.2% | 86.4% | 3.1% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Limestone, WV · Rodman, NY · Rochester, OH · River Pines, CA · Manassas, GA · Macksville, KS · Lohrville, WI · Log Cabin, TX · Line Lexington, PA · Adirondack, NY
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Old Sparta. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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