2012 · First National Bank in · Wikimedia Commons
Sparta’s story
Sparta in pictures
10 postcards, papers and photographs from public archives, and 1 places on the National Register.
SpartaIL
A town of 4,068. A typical home worth about $132K.
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Population
4,068
−4.8% since 2010
Typical home
$132K
+4.6% in a year
Household income
$52K
median
Median age
41.4
years
Jobs based here
2,157
Balanced
What makes Sparta stand out
The 3 things Sparta does most differently from other towns.
Sparta’s report card
Commute17 miHalf of commuters travel lessHousing$132K56% below the IL typical homeSchoolsDBeats 9% of IL districtsHealthC−Healthier than 19% of U.S. townsHazards71/100High risk of storm & flood damageClimate88°/23°Summer high · winter low · 11″ snowSafetyC+Less crime than 40% of U.S. townsOutdoors1 miof trails · 2.3% conserved
Now in Sparta
Be the first to start the conversation.
Residents weigh in
Sparta is #801 of 807 in IL for “Most remote workers”. Fair?
Your answer becomes a post in Sparta’s Town Square.
Start a conversation
Weather
Forecast →63°
Light Rain
H 71° · L 51°
Local news
All →- Middle School Football Sparta High School - 09/27/2026 | Watch Live & On DemandNFHS Network · Sep 27
- Varsity Girls Volleyball Multi-team Event - 09/22/2026 | Watch Live & On DemandNFHS Network · Sep 22
- Steeleville vs Sparta - Girls Varsity Volleyball 08/26/2027 | Watch Live & On DemandNFHS Network · Sep 13
Upcoming events
Nothing on the calendar.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Sparta. Another town gets a different order.
Work & commute
About one in four working residents works right in Sparta
About one in 4 of Sparta’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Steeleville (5%), Chester (3%) and Belleville (3%). Half commute less than 17 miles.
28%work in town
Where working residents work
In Sparta28%
Steeleville5%
Chester3%
Belleville3%
Red Bud3%
17 mi
median commute distance
2,157
jobs based in Sparta
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACSCommute map →
Housing
A typical Sparta home is worth about $132K
The typical Sparta home is worth about $132,000, up 4.6% in a year, 56% below the Illinois typical home.
$132KZillow home value
Typical home value
Sparta$132K
Illinois$298K
+4.6%
value change, 1 year
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →
Schools
Sparta’s public schools outperform 9% of Illinois districts
The public schools Sparta’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 91% of Illinois’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.
DSchool Grade
| School | Grades | Students | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sparta Lincoln School | PK–8 | 735 | C |
| Sparta High School | 9–12 | 309 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduationAll 2 schools →
Health
Healthier than 19% of U.S. towns
Sparta beats the Illinois average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16.
C−Health Grade
32 measures vs. Illinois
1 better15 too close to call16 worse
| What stands out | Sparta | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79% | 75.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17% | 10.3% |
Sparta Community Hospital
2.4 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
7th
percentile among IL towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSAFull health report →
Natural hazards
High risk, with earthquakes at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 71% of U.S. communities.
71risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesInland floodingTornadoes
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMANatural hazards →
Climate
Four seasons, hot summers
Sparta has chilly winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 11 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
11″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter26–44°
Spring45–67°
Summer66–87°
Fall46–69°
Oct 22
typical first frost
Apr 12
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020Full climate →
Safety
Less crime per resident than 40% of U.S. towns
Sparta reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 60% report less.
C+Safety Grade
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Sparta2.7
Illinois2.6
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Sparta13.8
Illinois15.6
U.S.15.5
40th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
27th
percentile among IL towns
13
violent crimes reported in 2025
66
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeFull safety report →
Outdoors
2.3% of Sparta is conserved land
0.9 miles of trails across 2 parks and preserves.
2.3%conserved
2.3%
conserved · 169 of 7,273 acres
0.9 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brown-Stevenson City Park | 0.4 mi | 44 |
| 2. Tom Reid Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-USParks & trails →
About Sparta
City in Illinois, United States
Sparta is a city in Randolph County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,095 at the 2020 census. It has a total area of 11.443 square miles (29.64 km2), of which 11.17 square miles (28.93 km2) (or 97.61%) is land and 0.273 square miles (0.71 km2) (or 2.39%) is water. The city was the principal filming location for the 1967 film In the Heat of the Night.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Population
- 4,095
- Area
- 11 sq mi
- Elevation
- 482 ft
- ZIP code
- 62286
- Area code
- 618
More about Sparta
Still missing for Sparta:upcoming events