Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Sparta spent more per resident in 2022 than 88% of similar cities
Sparta’s city government spent $7.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,460 per resident. Water and other utilities ($14.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Sparta is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,474 per resident in 2022: more than 88% of them
Sparta’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,474 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 43 Tennessee cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $698, and the middle half spent $418–$1,116. Sparta spent more than 88% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.4 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Tennessee cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Sparta itself left out).
About $1,460 per resident a year, or $4.00 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 37%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 3% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Sparta reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,474 · 2023: $711 · 2024: $1,460.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,019 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.47% of the home’s value, vs 0.50% across Tennessee.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Sparta’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Sparta’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Sparta →
Who’s in charge in Sparta
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Sparta’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on spartatn.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 56 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (4,902).
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.
White County School District
Sparta’s K–12 school district, shared with Doyle. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,110 per pupil, $7,009 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.
Tennessee districts overall: 40% local, 44% state, 16% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Sparta’s votes are counted by county
Tennessee 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 White County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican82.9%10,717 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat16.3%2,105 votesOthers: 0.8% (109 votes).
Most votes in White County: Donald J Trump
Tennessee: Trump 64.2%, Harris 34.5%
100% of Sparta lies in White County. Every 2024 race in White County is on the county’s page.
White 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 & councilOfficials: spartatn.com ↗
- 2Tennessee HouseState representatives
- 3Tennessee SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Tennessee
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Sparta’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Sparta’s government
How much does Sparta spend per resident?
About $1,460 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,474 was more than 88% of 43 Tennessee cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Sparta?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,019 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.47% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.50% across Tennessee. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see spartatn.com.
Who runs Sparta’s government?
See spartatn.com for current officials. 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?
Tennessee counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Sparta alone. White County, where 100% of Sparta lies, voted Trump 82.9%, Harris 16.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Sparta?
88 full-time and 3 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $391,662 (about $4.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Sparta in the state legislature?
State Senate District 15 (Paul Bailey) and State House District 43 (Paul Sherrell). The House district also covers five 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 →