Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Sparta’s subject grades are a B+ for cost of living and a B for history; the weakest is a D for walkability. Among 759 New York towns, just 1 have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Sparta. Sparta's schools rank behind 69% of the state's. Only 9 of the 759 New York towns we compare have a higher share of households owning their home than Sparta. On the outdoors, just 11 of New York’s 1,216 towns do worse. Sparta has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Sparta beats most towns.
Where Sparta’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Sparta is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,475 in 1820, a peak of 5,841 in 1840, 1,624 in 2010. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1868 and 2 maps from 1902 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sparta, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Sparta.
Most working residents leave Sparta for work: only 0% work in town. At 30 minutes, Sparta’s average trip to work is where New York’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. The top destinations are North Dansville (19%), Rochester (7%) and Geneseo (4%).
| Sparta | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $88,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Sparta has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. At 80°F, Sparta’s July high is below both the New York town median (81°F) and the median of U.S. towns (85°F).
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 61% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Sparta since 2014.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Sparta beats the New York average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 37% of Sparta adults have high blood pressure.
| Sparta | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 34% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 17% | 16% |
| What stands out | Sparta | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.9% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.3% | 14.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.6% | 6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sparta. Close and well known come first.
15 mi State parkLetchworth State Park
35 mi MountainCumorah
37 mi MuseumGeorge Eastman Museum
37 mi Stadium & arenaBlue Cross Arena
37 mi MuseumThe National Museum of Play17 mi Ski areaBristol Mountain Ski Resort39 runs · 1,138 ft verticalLetchworth State Park: Suandsoe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cumorah: Hillcumorahpageantstage.jpg: la salebete derivative work: Eustress (talk), CC BY-SA 2.0 · George Eastman Museum: Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Blue Cross Arena: Matthew D. Wilson (LtPowers), CC BY-SA 3.0 · The National Museum of Play: Misc, CC BY-SA 4.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Sparta
About 3 of every 100 Sparta residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Town in New York, United States
Sparta is a town in Livingston County, New York, United States. The population was 1,624 at the 2010 census. Sparta is in the southeast part of the county and is north of Dansville.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Sparta.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sparta | — | — | B+ | — | C | B |
| West Sparta | — | — | A | — | C | B− |
| Groveland | — | — | C+ | — | B | B |
| Springwater | — | — | B+ | — | B− | B− |
| North Dansville | #387 | B− | B | — | C | B− |
| Conesus | — | — | C+ | — | B | B+ |
Sparta, West Sparta, Groveland, Springwater and Conesus have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Sparta, West Sparta, Groveland, Springwater, North Dansville and Conesus report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Sparta with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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 B+.
