Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,277.
Sparta grades C− overall, 335th of 357 graded towns in Wisconsin, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. The median household earns $94K. Its lowest everyday mark is in schools: its public schools trail 70% of Wisconsin towns on state tests and graduation. A typical home there costs about $275K, 4 years of the Sparta area’s $69K median household income. Only 22 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns score lower on walkability. Sparta's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 96% of U.S. towns. St. John's Episcopal Church is on the National Register of Historic Places.
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 Wisconsin), ordered by how far Sparta is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,284 in 1860, 10,025 in 2020. The archive holds 16 old photos and papers going back to 1863 and 4 maps from 1909 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →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 Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Sparta.
Sparta sends most of its workers to Sparta and beyond, but it trails even towns with similar incomes on health.
Sparta has 172 jobs for its 1,392 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
1% of Sparta working residents work locally, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 8.4% and U.S. towns at 8%. Since 2013, Sparta has added 36 jobs, to 172 in 2023. Sparta’s average trip to work is 18 minutes.
| Sparta | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1% | 8.4% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 5% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $94,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 9,397 U.S. towns with household incomes like Sparta’s, it is less healthy than 88%, so it trails even them.
Sparta beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 44% of Sparta adults have obesity, against 38% in Wisconsin’s towns and 35% across U.S. towns. 17% of adults smoke cigarettes in Sparta.
| Sparta | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 38% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Sparta | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8% | 6.5% |
| More smokers | 16.7% | 13.6% |
| More adults who get no exercise | 31.7% | 26.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Sparta has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 8° and about 55 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 14% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 23% of residents (19% statewide). 27% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Wisconsin. The median age in Sparta is 44 years.
| Sparta | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 20% | 18% |
| Median age | 44 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 27% | 32% | 29% |
45% women, 55% men
About 122 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.9 points). Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women. Among residents 45 to 54, 73% are men (WI 51%).
| Sparta | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.4% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.5% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.5% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.9% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.6% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.9% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.6% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.8% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.9% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 1.8% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.7% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.6% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 30.7% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.4% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.8% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,300, single groups can be off by several points
| Sparta | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.5% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 51% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Sparta; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Sparta residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Sparta is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Wisconsin, United States, along the La Crosse River. The population was 10,025 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Sparta.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sparta | #335 | C− | B− | — | C | C |
| Sparta | #340 | C− | B | C− | C | C− |
| Burns | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rockland | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Leon | — | — | C+ | — | C | C |
| Angelo | — | — | C | — | C | C |
| Little Falls | — | — | B− | — | C | C |
Leon, Angelo and Little Falls have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Sparta, Leon, Angelo and Little Falls report no FBI crime data of their own. Burns and Rockland aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Sparta with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Sparta grades C− overall, better than 24% of U.S. towns and #335 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades C for health and C for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
