Health · Sparta

Sparta, NJ health

Sparta differs from New Jersey on 18 of 40 measures. It has fewer adults facing food insecurity (6.7% vs 14.3%) and fewer uninsured adults (5.6% vs 11.3%). Where it trails the state: more adults who have had cancer (9% vs 7.5%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP code 07871 (all of Sparta)
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Sparta’s Health Grade: A+

On seven CDC health estimates for adults, Sparta is healthier than 97% of U.S. towns and 84% of New Jersey towns.

A+Self-rated healthA+Physical distressAMental distressA+ObesityA+DiabetesASmokingAExercise
All U.S. towns we grade (19,420)Healthier than 97%
Less healthyHealthier
New Jersey towns we grade (529)Healthier than 84%
Towns with similar incomes, $126K–$210K (1,683)Healthier than 83%

About what its income would suggest. Sparta does about as well against towns with similar incomes as against all towns.

These are estimates. At the ends of CDC’s likely ranges, Sparta could be anywhere from A to A+.
How the Health Grade works
  • Seven CDC estimates. Adults in fair or poor health, frequent physical distress, frequent mental distress, obesity, diabetes, smoking and no exercise (CDC PLACES, 2025 release). On each one a town earns the share of U.S. towns doing worse, and those shares are averaged. It’s the same score as our Healthiest towns in New Jersey ranking.
  • Graded on a national curve. Every U.S. town with 1,000+ residents and all seven estimates (19,420 places) is lined up by score: A+ top 5%A next 10%A- next 10%B B+ to B−, next 30%C C+ to C−, next 30%D D and D−, bottom 15%
  • Not adjusted for income. Wealthier towns are usually healthier, and the grade shows that as it is. The similar-incomes bar compares Sparta with U.S. towns whose median household income is within 25% of its own.
  • Modeled, not measured. CDC combines national survey answers with each area’s age, sex, race and income mix. Sparta’s figures come from the ZIP codes that cover it, weighted by land area. High blood pressure is left out because it tracks age more than anything else. The confidence line recomputes the grade with every estimate at the low, then the high, end of its range.
Report card

How Sparta compares with New Jersey

Each theme counts how many of its measures are better, worse or too close to call against the state. Tap one to jump to it.

Chronic conditions

Out of every 100 Sparta adults…

31 of every 100 Sparta adults have high blood pressure
New Jersey: 33 in 100 · too close to call · margin 27.2–34.3%

Bars show Sparta; the black tick is New Jersey. Tap a condition to see it as people.

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Sparta, betterSparta, worseToo close to callNew Jersey
Get no exerciseshare of adults 17% Sparta
NJ 24.8%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 34% Sparta
NJ 37.5%
Binge drinkshare of adults 17.5% Sparta
NJ 15.5%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 8.6% Sparta
NJ 10.9%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Sparta adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks New Jersey.

79%
Yearly checkup
NJ 78%
75%
Dentist visit
NJ 66%
91%
Cholesterol check
NJ 89%
67%
Colon screening
NJ 63%
78%
Mammogram
NJ 76%
76%
Taking BP meds
NJ 77%
1 in 18
working-age adults has no health insurance
Sparta 5.6% · New Jersey 1 in 9 (11.3%)
Mind & connection

How Sparta adults are doing

1 in 3Sparta adults feel lonely
29.9% · New Jersey 32.4% · too close to call
1 in 6Sparta adults have been diagnosed with depression
17.8% · New Jersey 15.1% · too close to call
1 in 5Sparta adults lack social or emotional support
18.5% · New Jersey 24% · better
1 in 7Sparta adults are in frequent mental distress
13.5% · New Jersey 14.7% · too close to call
Everyday needs

Making ends meet

Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.

1 in 15
Sparta adults worry about having enough food
6.7% · NJ 14.3% · better
1 in 15
Sparta adults worry about keeping their housing
6.7% · NJ 12.3% · better
1 in 25
Sparta adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
4% · NJ 7% · better
1 in 23
Sparta adults lack reliable transportation
4.4% · NJ 7.4% · better

3.6% of Sparta adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 8.4% across New Jersey.

Disability

Living with a disability

19.3%

of Sparta adults live with a disability (New Jersey 24.8%). Thinking or memory is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs8.1%
Thinking or memory9.2%
Hearing5%
Errands alone4.9%
Vision2.9%
Dressing or bathing2.3%

Black tick: New Jersey. Shown without a better/worse judgment.

Around Sparta

Sparta and the towns around it

Pick a measure to shade the map. Darker is worse for health. Pins are hospitals and community health centers in and near Sparta.

Ogdensburg: 27.3% Hardyston: 27.3% Lafayette: 26.5% Andover: 27% Jefferson: 24.9% Franklin: 29.1% Wantage: 27.8% Hamburg: 27.3% Vernon: 27.3% West Milford: 26.4% Hampton: 27.6% Frankford: 26.6% Andover: 26.1% Fredon: 27.6% Green: 26.7% Newton: 29.5% Byram: 26.1% Hopatcong: 27.6% Roxbury: 24.3% Rockaway: 25.4% Mount Arlington: 24.2% Sparta: 24.7% Sparta Ogdensburg Hardyston Lafayette Andover Jefferson Newton Medical Center · Newton · 6.9 mi · 4★ MedicareH Saint Clare's Hospital/ Denville Campus · Denville · 13.9 mi · 2★ MedicareH Ahs Hospital · Hackettstown · 16.4 mi · 4★ MedicareH Chilton Medical Center · Pompton Plains · 17.7 mi · 5★ MedicareH Zufall Health Center - Sussex · Newton · 6.4 mi+
24.2%29.5%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#3 of 22towns on this map, healthiest first
Sparta24.7%
Jefferson24.9%
Lafayette26.5%
Andover27%
Ogdensburg27.3%
Hardyston27.3%
6 places to get careNearest ER 6.9 mi

Nearby towns are shaded from CDC's estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC's own figure for cities and villages.

Getting care

Care in and near Sparta

No hospital or community health center in Sparta itself. These are the nearest.

HNearest ERNewton Medical CenterNewton · 6.9 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyChilton Medical Center★★★★★ · 17.7 miDirections →
+Low-cost careZufall Health CenterNewton · 6.4 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
6.4 mi
Zufall Health Center
7 sites · nearest in Newton
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
6.9 mi
Newton Medical Center
Newton · ★★★★★
ER
13.9 mi
Saint Clare's Hospital/ Denville Campus
Denville · ★★★★★
ER
16.4 mi
Ahs Hospital
Hackettstown · ★★★★★
ER
17.7 mi
Chilton Medical Center
Pompton Plains · ★★★★★
ER
22.1 mi
Cornerstone Family Health Care at Port Jervis
Port Jervis · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
✓ Primary careSparta is not a shortage area
✓ Dental careSparta is not a shortage area
! Mental healthSparta's county is a federal shortage area.Sussex County · need score 13 of 25

Hospitals: Medicare overall star ratings, 1–5. Community health centers charge on a sliding scale by income. Distances are straight-line from the center of Sparta. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Sparta
MeasureSpartaMarginNew Jersey
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure30.6%27.2–34.3%32.8%about the same
High cholesterol38.6%34.6–42.7%39.3%about the same
Obesity24.7%19.8–30.2%28.9%about the same
Arthritis22.3%19.7–25.3%22.2%about the same
Depression17.8%15.1–20.8%15.1%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)5.8%4.7–7.2%9.6%better
Asthma9.3%8.2–10.5%8.9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)9%8.2–9.9%7.5%worse
Diabetes8.1%6.9–9.3%10.9%better
COPD4.2%3.6–4.9%5.1%better
Heart disease4.9%4.3–5.4%5.6%better
Stroke2.4%2.2–2.7%3.1%better
Habits
Smoke cigarettes8.6%7–10.2%10.9%better
Binge drink17.5%14.5–20.7%15.5%about the same
Get no exercise17%14.1–20.3%24.8%better
Sleep under 7 hours34%28.6–39.9%37.5%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup79%75.6–82.1%78%about the same
Dentist visit74.8%71.8–77.7%65.9%better
Cholesterol check91.1%89.8–92.3%89.1%better
Colon screening66.5%61.7–71.1%63.4%about the same
Mammogram78.3%71.3–84.4%75.7%about the same
Taking BP meds76.2%72.9–79.3%77.2%about the same
No health insurance5.6%4.7–6.7%11.3%better
Mind & connection
Feel lonely29.9%25.6–34.4%32.4%about the same
Lack emotional support18.5%15.7–21.5%24%better
Frequent mental distress13.5%11.9–15.3%14.7%about the same
Fair or poor health11.8%10.1–13.7%17.1%better
Frequent physical distress10.2%8.9–11.6%12.2%better
Everyday needs
Food insecurity6.7%5.5–8%14.3%better
Housing insecurity6.7%5.6–7.9%12.3%better
Utility shut-off threat4%3.4–4.7%7%better
No reliable transportation4.4%3.7–5%7.4%better
Receive SNAP3.6%2.9–4.4%8.4%
Disability
Any disability19.3%16.4–22.4%24.8%
Walking or climbing stairs8.1%6.9–9.5%11.3%
Thinking or memory9.2%8–10.5%11.5%
Hearing5%4.4–5.6%5.7%
Vision2.9%2.5–3.2%4.7%
Dressing or bathing2.3%2–2.6%3.3%
Errands alone4.9%4.2–5.5%6.6%
About these numbers

How CDC estimates town health

They're modeled estimatesCDC combines a large national health survey with each area's age, sex, race and income mix to estimate local rates. Nobody surveyed Sparta door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the New Jersey figure falls inside it, we don't call Sparta better or worse.
Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Sparta by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Sparta by how much of its land each one covers.

CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The New Jersey figure combines its counties, weighted by adult population.

Health estimates: CDC PLACES. Hospitals and star ratings: Medicare Care Compare (CMS). Health centers and shortage areas: HRSA. Town boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01