Population 4,282 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Sparta
Household size in Sparta
| Period | Sparta | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.57 | 2.49 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.66 | 2.52 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.71 | 2.50 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.53 | 2.49 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.04 | −0.00 | −0.03 |
The average household in Sparta has 2.53 people, a bit under the U.S. average of 2.65. Missouri as a whole looks much the same.
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 Sparta
| Period | Sparta | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 35.6 | 38.4 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 38.3 | 39.2 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 39.1 | 40.0 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 42.3 | 40.1 | 40.1 |
| Change | +6.7 | +1.7 | +2.3 |
Sparta skews a little older than the country: its median age is 42.3, against 40.1 nationally. The median age has climbed from 35.6 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
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 Sparta
| Period | Sparta | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.2% | 11.3% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 7.4% | 11.4% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 17.3% | 10.9% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 10.4% | 11.0% | 11.6% |
| Change | +1.3 pts | −0.3 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head about one in ten households in Sparta (10.4%), a little below the national share of 11.6%. The picture is much the same across Missouri.
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 Sparta
Renters in Sparta
| Period | Sparta | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 22.6% | 30.0% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 27.9% | 32.1% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 20.0% | 33.2% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 19.8% | 31.9% | 34.8% |
| Change | −2.8 pts | +1.9 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 19.8% of households in Sparta rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. Among homeowners, 39.2% have no mortgage at all, about the same as nationally.
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 Sparta
| Period | Sparta | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.8% | 11.6% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 8.4% | 12.0% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 13.1% | 12.2% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 5.9% | 10.5% | 9.6% |
| Change | −4.0 pts | −1.1 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy is on the low side in Sparta: 5.9% of homes sit empty, against 9.6% nationally, which points to steady demand for housing.
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 Sparta
| Period | Sparta | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1988 | 1974 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1991 | 1975 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1990 | 1976 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1995 | 1978 | 1980 |
| Change | +7 | +4 | +6 |
Sparta has newer housing than the country as a whole: the median home was built in 1995, versus 1980 nationally.
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 Sparta
| Period | Sparta | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $641 | $740 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $654 | $816 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $697 | $899 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $882 | $1,122 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$241 | +$383 | +$606 |
Rent in Sparta runs $882 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 24.8% of household income on rent, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally.
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 Sparta
Bachelor's degrees in Sparta
| Period | Sparta | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 16.4% | 26.0% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 16.6% | 27.3% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 13.7% | 29.6% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 20.1% | 32.6% | 35.6% |
| Change | +3.7 pts | +6.6 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Sparta have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 20.1%, against 35.6% nationally.
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 Sparta
| Period | Sparta | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 86.6% | 86.8% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 86.6% | 88.3% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 89.7% | 90.0% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 93.5% | 91.8% | 89.3% |
| Change | +6.9 pts | +5.1 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion in Sparta is above the national rate: 93.5% of adults have a diploma, against 89.3%.
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 Sparta
| Period | Sparta | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.5% | 7.4% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 7.3% | 8.4% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 4.2% | 4.6% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 2.1% | 4.1% | 5.4% |
| Change | −5.4 pts | −3.3 pts | −2.7 pts |
The job market in Sparta has been strong: just 2.1% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well below the national rate of 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).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sparta | 2.53 | 42.3 | 10.4% | 19.8% | 5.9% | 1995 | $882 | 20.1% | 93.5% | 2.1% |
| Ongo | 2.47 | 42.3 | 7.0% | 18.0% | 7.1% | 1992 | $768 | 19.2% | 94.5% | 2.6% |
| Oldfield | 2.62 | 43.2 | 3.0% | 12.2% | 8.5% | 1989 | $892 | 24.0% | 92.1% | 3.1% |
| McCracken | 2.67 | 44.2 | 13.9% | 9.0% | 3.7% | 1998 | $1,116 | 37.3% | 96.3% | 1.9% |
| Linden | 2.58 | 43.3 | 7.1% | 8.2% | 4.6% | 1995 | $823 | 30.1% | 98.4% | 3.0% |
| Bruner | 2.60 | 39.5 | 1.4% | 15.0% | 11.0% | 1987 | $921 | 27.3% | 90.9% | 2.1% |
| Chadwick | 2.67 | 44.6 | 6.2% | 15.0% | 11.0% | 1991 | $1,099 | 21.1% | 88.2% | 2.0% |
| Ozark | 2.67 | 37.2 | 13.2% | 26.8% | 5.6% | 1998 | $1,206 | 31.4% | 92.8% | 3.9% |
| Rogersville | 2.78 | 40.5 | 11.3% | 25.2% | 10.7% | 1993 | $1,266 | 33.1% | 95.0% | 1.7% |
| Selmore | 2.54 | 45.0 | 3.9% | 17.4% | 10.8% | 2003 | $1,279 | 25.0% | 92.9% | 0.1% |
| Henderson | 2.57 | 40.8 | 11.5% | 20.0% | 10.7% | 1993 | $909 | 23.6% | 96.8% | 5.5% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Bellows Falls, VT · Fordland, MO · Brent, AL · Squaw Valley, CA · East Flat Rock, NC · Ely, IA · Eustace, TX · Fairmount, IN · Kingman, KS · Santa Rosa, TX
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 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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