Photo: Blastoids · CC BY-SA 3.0Sparta spent more per resident in 2022 than 96% of similar cities
Sparta’s city government spent $2.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2022, about $2,334 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Sparta is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$2,334 per resident in 2022: more than 96% of them
Sparta’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,334 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 243 Georgia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $696, and the middle half spent $428–$1,060. Sparta spent more than 96% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($816,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Georgia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Sparta itself left out).
About $2,334 per resident a year, or $6.39 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 34%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Sparta reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
Who’s in charge in Sparta
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 37 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (1,220).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Hancock County School District
Sparta’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $27,914 per pupil, $11,480 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Georgia districts overall: 49% local, 39% state, 12% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Sparta’s votes are counted by county
Georgia reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Sparta alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Hancock County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat67.5%2,864 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican32.2%1,364 votesOthers: 0.3% (12 votes).
Most votes in Hancock County: Kamala D Harris
Georgia: Trump 50.7%, Harris 48.5%
100% of Sparta lies in Hancock County. Every 2024 race in Hancock County is on the county’s page.
Hancock County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Sparta.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Georgia HouseState representatives
- 3Georgia SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Georgia
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Sparta’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Sparta’s government
How much does Sparta spend per resident?
About $2,334 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $2,334 was more than 96% of 243 Georgia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Sparta’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Sparta yet.
How did Sparta vote in 2024?
Georgia counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Sparta alone. Hancock County, where 100% of Sparta lies, voted Harris 67.5%, Trump 32.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Sparta?
33 full-time and 26 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $139,802 (about $1.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Sparta in the state legislature?
State Senate District 26 (David Lucas) and State House District 128 (Mack Jackson). The House district also covers 14 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Sparta’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →