A Tree in the Mist (Roller Park in, 2014
Sparta’s story
150 years in pictures
Census counts: 23 in 1880, 1,876 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2014.
- 1876Sparta is settled
SpartaMO
A town of 1,953, settled in 1876. Public schools that outperform most of Missouri.
Photo: Hog Farm · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,953
2025 Census estimate · +4.8% since 2020
Typical home
$264K
+3.2% in a year
Household income
$63K
median
Median age
37.0
years
Jobs based here
401
A commuter town
Is Sparta a good place to live?
Sparta’s best subject grades are an A for schools and an A− for cost of living; its weakest is a C for walkability. Sparta’s average trip to work is 39 minutes, against 22 minutes in Missouri’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Sparta's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 81% of U.S. towns. Sparta has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Sparta stand out
Where Sparta beats most towns.
SPARTA R-III schools
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Sparta Elem. | K–4 | 263 |
| Sparta Middle | 5–8 | 187 |
| Sparta High | 9–12 | 227 |
SchoolsA
On state tests and graduation
NCES · EDFacts.
Typical home value
Sparta$264K
Missouri$265K
Cost of livingA−
4.1 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 83% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Sparta for work
Where Sparta’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
401jobs based in Sparta
4%of working residents work in town
17 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Sparta grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Sparta is from typical.
SchoolsAOpen →Cost of livingA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.8 of 20; 5.1% of households have no car; 0.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →HealthMercy Hospital Springfield 15.9 miles awayC+Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC+Open →SafetyBOpen →Jobs & income$63K median household incomeBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsDOpen →History1 notable person born hereC−Open →Civic life1.5 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 37.0; 12% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Sparta: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sparta, and how to reach them.
PowerWhite River Valley El Coop15.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSparta PWSNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet9 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Sparta’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Missouri you can register online until 27 days before Election Day, in person until 27 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 27 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereChristianChristian County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2019
ZIP code6575365753 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Sparta.
SchoolsA
Public schools in Sparta beat 86% of Missouri districts
Its public schools are run by Sparta R-III. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
86%of MO districts it outscoresASchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sparta Elem.Largest public elementary schoolGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 263 | A |
| Sparta HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 227 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
About half of Sparta’s working residents commute to Springfield
Most working residents leave Sparta for work: only 4% work in town. Since 2013, Sparta has added 107 jobs, to 401 in 2023. 4.8% of workers work from home in Sparta, where Missouri’s towns sit at 9% and U.S. towns at 11%.
4%work in town
| Sparta | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 4.8% | 9% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.5% | 13% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Sparta4%
Springfield45%
Ozark13%
Branson3%
Nixa3%
17 mi
median commute distance
401
jobs based in Sparta
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 29% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Sparta, expect four seasons and hot summers
Sparta has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 23° and about 17 inches of snow falls in a winter.
17″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter25–46°
Spring44–67°
Summer64–86°
Fall45–69°
Oct 13
typical first frost
Apr 26
typical last frost
+0.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthC+
Sparta is less healthy than 63% of U.S. towns
Sparta tracks Missouri closely on all 32 CDC measures. 27% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Sparta.
37%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Sparta | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 25% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 19% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 16% |
32 measures vs. Missouri
0 better32 too close to call0 worse
Mercy Hospital Springfield
15.9 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SafetyB
Sparta is safer than 57% of U.S. towns, by crime per resident
The violent crime rate in Sparta is 3 per 1,000 residents.
57%of U.S. towns report more crimeBSafety Grade
| Sparta | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.1 per 1,000 residents | 12.5 | 9.9 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Sparta3
Missouri4.3
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Sparta6.1
Missouri16.9
U.S.15.5
57th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
6
violent crimes reported in 2025
12
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C+
Moderate risk in Sparta, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 58% of U.S. communities.
58risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesHeat waves
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HousingCost of living grade A−
The typical home in Sparta is valued at about $264K
The typical Sparta home is worth about $264,000, up 3.2% in a year, close to the Missouri typical home. Sparta’s median rent is $768 a month.
$264KZillow home value
| Sparta | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $768 a month | $971 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 64% | 73% |
Typical home value
Sparta$264K
Missouri$265K
+3.2%
value change, 1 year
3
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 786 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sparta City Roller Park | — | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 11 attractions →Silver Dollar City and 7 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sparta. Close and well known come first.
27 mi Theme parkSilver Dollar City
32 mi LakeTable Rock Lake
27 mi MuseumTitanic Museum27 mi CaveMarvel Cave
17 mi Zoo & aquariumWonders of Wildlife Museum & Aquarium15 mi MuseumRiverbluff CaveSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Silver Dollar City: Nan Fry, CC BY 2.0 · Table Rock Lake: KTrimble (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Titanic Museum: Brad A. Totman, Public domain · Wonders of Wildlife Museum & Aquarium: Robert Lawton, CC BY-SA 2.5
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Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sparta
20pages on Sparta
The big questions
SchoolsABeat 86% of MO districts · 4 schoolsSafetyB3 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthC+Better than MO on 0 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingA−$264K typical home · up 3.2% in a yearWork & commuteB$63K median household income · 401 jobs hereNatural hazardsC+FEMA risk higher than 58% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Sparta
About 6 of every 100 Sparta residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Missouri.
About Sparta
City in Christian County, Missouri, United States
Sparta is a city in north central Christian County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2020 census, Sparta had a population of 1,876. It is part of the Springfield, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,404 ft
- ZIP code
- 65753
- Area code
- 417
Questions about Sparta
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sparta, MO a good place to live?
Public schools that outperform most of Missouri.
Is Sparta, MO expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.