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Delavan vs Sparta

142 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (8.6× in Delavan) and rent (+27% in Delavan).

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Delavan, WIHomes around $338KWisconsin · 8,689 people
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Sparta, WIKnown for its schoolsWisconsin · 9,950 people
Swap order
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

DelavanHomes around $338K
Housing$338K typical home0% above the WI typical home SchoolsBetter than 36%of WI districts HealthHealthier than 50%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Delavan →
SpartaKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 33%of WI districts Housing$280K typical home17% below the WI typical home Outdoors#164 most walkable in WI0.8 miles of trails across 9 parks and preserves All about Sparta →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Trails8.6×
Delavan has more miles of trail
Delavan 6.9 miSparta 0.8 mi
Rent+27%
Rent runs higher in Delavan
Delavan $1,094Sparta $861
Home values+21%
Homes cost more in Delavan
Delavan $218,800Sparta $180,600
Work in town+12.5 pts
More of Sparta’s workers stay in town
Sparta 33.3%Delavan 20.8%
Growth since 2010+4.8 pts
Sparta has grown faster since 2010
Sparta +5.3%Delavan +0.5%
★ What stands out · Report cards

Delavan places higher on 12 of 21 WI lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Wisconsin ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety
B−DelavanSafer than 53% of U.S. towns C−SpartaSafer than 18% of U.S. towns
Schools
C+DelavanBetter than 36% of districts in the state CSpartaBetter than 33% of districts in the state
Health
B−DelavanHealthier than 50% of U.S. towns C−SpartaHealthier than 23% of U.S. towns
12Delavan
8Sparta

Lists won, of 21 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Lowest depressionHealth · 366 towns #10#345 Most new homesHousing · 294 towns #21#251 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 371 towns #174#320 Fewest smokersHealth · 366 towns #181#324 Cheapest rentCost of living · 348 towns #181#60 Fastest growingGrowth · 358 towns #271#157 SafestSafety · 161 towns #105#152 Most activeHealth · 366 towns #268#348

Left end = #1 in Wisconsin. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Delavan’s rankings →

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $360 more a month in Delavan

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Delavan$2,210/mo
Typical home $338K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.55% · or rent about $1,094/mo · Housing →
Sparta$1,850/mo
Typical home $280K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.64% · or rent about $861/mo · Housing →

The difference: $360 a month, about $4,300 a year, between Delavan and Sparta.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
DelavanSparta
Snow a year34″55″
January low12°F11°F
July high82°F81°F
Growing season (days)157d170d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)12th52nd
Outdoors & history
DelavanSparta
Trails7 mi1 mi
Conserved land4.3%3.1%
National Register places76
Archive photos1212
Famous people born here1013
Community
DelavanSparta
Library hours a week47 hrs51 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

142 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

DelavanWISpartaWI
Delavan ↔ Sparta142 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

DelavanSparta
People
Population 8,689Lowest 9,950Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +0.5%Lowest WI: +3.6% +5.3%Highest WI: +3.6%
Median age 38.1±2.8Highest 5% below WI 37.1±2.4Lowest 8% below WI
Delavan and Sparta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 17.6%±3.4Lowest WI: 21.4% 22.4%±3.1Highest WI: 21.4%
Sparta and Delavan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 19.1%±3.8Highest WI: 18.5% 16.4%±2.9Lowest WI: 18.5%
Delavan and Sparta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 23.9%Highest WI: 33.4% 19.7%Lowest WI: 33.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.9%±1.4Highest WI: 5.8% 2.8%±1Lowest WI: 5.8%
Delavan and Sparta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $65,357±$14kHighest 16% below WI $64,973±$6kLowest 16% below WI
Delavan and Sparta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $218,800±$17kHighest 18% below WI $180,600±$11kLowest 32% below WI
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,094±$78Highest about the WI average $861±$61Lowest 21% below WI
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,400Highest 10% below WI $2,963Lowest 22% below WI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 46.9%±13.4Highest WI: 43.7% 34.7%±8.1Lowest WI: 43.7%
Delavan and Sparta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 10.2%Lowest WI: 10.6% 11.3%Highest WI: 10.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 59.1%Lowest WI: 67.8% 64.6%Highest WI: 67.8%
Typical home builtmedian year 1968Lowest 7 yrs older than WI 1975Highest same as WI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 19 minLowest 17% below WI 19 minHighest 13% below WI
Work from home 8.2%±3.2Lowest WI: 13.1% 10.2%±3.1Highest WI: 13.1%
Sparta and Delavan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 20.8%Lowest 33.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 14.8 miLowest 18.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.41 1.41
Top workplaceoutside town Elkhorn (7%)La Crosse (12%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in SpartaFew work in Delavan
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 4.3%Highest 3.1%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 6.9 miHighest 0.8 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.9 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 16Highest 9Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 38.3Lowest 44.2Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #248 of 262 in WI#236 of 262 in WI
School district Delavan-Darien School DistrictSparta Area School District
High school in town Delavan-Darien HighSparta High
Students per teacherat that high school 13.5Lowest 14.8Highest
Wisconsin average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Delavan neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Delavan’s Town Square.

Sparta neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sparta’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Delavan

+ Compare
Delavan5,216 people · $303K homes
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Darien1,962 people · $293K homes
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Delavan Lake2,757 people · $356K homes

Towns like Delavan

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Portage10,236 people · $205K homes
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Rice Lake9,030 people · $194K homes
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Shawano9,522 people · $161K homes
B
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Baraboo12,769 people · $222K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Wisconsin towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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