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Sparta, MI

Village in Kent County, MI, US
Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

4,271
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

37.1
years ∙ half population younger than 37.1, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
16.7%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

2.4%
foreign-born population
97.6%Native
2.4% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Sparta is a village within Kent County, Michigan, United States.
Location
Village in Kent County, MI, US
Co-ordinates
DEC43.156706° N, 85.710989° W
DMS43° 09′ 24.14″ N, 85° 42′ 39.56″ W

Population Density & area

1,675/sq mi (648.1/km²)
Total Area
2.56 sq mi (6.6 km²)
Land Area
2.55 sq mi (6.59 km²) · 99.78%
Water Area
0.01 sq mi (0.01 km²) · 0.22%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

46.8% male
Male 46.8%
Female 53.2%
males per 100 females
Sparta 87.8
Kent County 98.6
Michigan 98.2

Nativity

2.4%
foreign-born population
97.6%Native
2.4% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Sparta 2.4%
Kent County 8.9%
Michigan 7.2%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

37.1
years ∙ half population younger than 37.1, half older
Sparta
37.1
Kent County
35.9
Michigan
40.2

Dependency ratio

Low High
60.7
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Sparta 60.7
Kent County 62.3
Michigan 66.3

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Sparta Kent County Michigan
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 20.3% 23.5% 21.2%
Working age (18-64) 62.2% 61.6% 60.2%
Senior (65+) 17.5% 14.9% 18.6%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 60.7 62.3 66.3
Child dependency ratio 32.6 38.1 35.3
Old-age dependency ratio 28.1 24.2 31
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
91.1%
Black
0.2%
Asian
1.2%
Hispanic
3.4%
Other
4.1%
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

Low High
16.7%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Sparta 16.7%
Kent County 47.9%
Michigan 45.2%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Sparta population
Sparta Kent County Michigan
Hispanic or Latino 3.4% 11.7% 5.9%
Mexican 1.7% 7.3% 4%
Puerto Rican 0% 1.1% 0.5%
Cuban 0% 0.4% 0.2%
Other Hispanic / Latino 1.7% 2.8% 1.2%
Not Hispanic or Latino 96.6% 88.3% 94.1%
One race 92.7% 83.7% 89.6%
White 91.1% 70.4% 72.4%
Black or African American 0.2% 9.4% 13.1%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.1% 0.2% 0.3%
Asian 1.2% 3.2% 3.4%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0%
Some Other Race 0% 0.6% 0.5%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 3.9% 4.6% 4.5%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

55.5% family
Family 55.5%
Non family 44.5%
% family households
Sparta 55.5%
Kent County 65%
Michigan 62.4%

Average household size

2.32
persons per household
Sparta
2.32
Kent County
2.54
Michigan
2.42

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Sparta population
Sparta Kent County Michigan
Total households 1,828 256,648 4,076,369
Average houshold size 2.32 2.54 2.42
Family households 1,015 166,730 2,545,621
Average family size 3.16 3.12 3.05
Married couple family 727 128,379 1,878,767
Other families 288 38,351 666,854
Male householder 57 11,730 199,150
Female householder 231 26,621 467,704
Non-family households 813 89,918 1,530,748
One-person households 708 69,386 1,250,418
Male householder 232 30,385 583,425
Senior (65+) living alone 51 8,392 188,594
Female householder 476 39,001 666,993
Senior (65+) living alone 236 17,615 349,637
Other living arrangements 105 20,532 280,330

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

1,863
housing units
Sparta 1,863
Kent County 269,136
Michigan 4,622,236

Occupancy status

98.1% occupied
Occupied 98.1%
Vacant 1.9%
vacancy rate
Sparta 1.9%
Kent County 4.6%
Michigan 11.8%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

78.7%
Single family houses
Single family houses
78.7%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
21.4%
Mobile homes
0%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0%

Median Year Built

1965
Half of houses were built before 1965, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
26.4%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
29.7%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
26.6%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
17.2%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Sparta Kent County Michigan
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 5.9 6.1 5.9
1–3 rooms 11.4% 12.7% 10.5%
4–6 rooms 51.3% 43.5% 51.9%
7+ rooms 37.2% 43.7% 37.6%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 1.4% 2.1% 1.6%
1 bedroom 14.4% 10.5% 8.9%
2 bedrooms 22% 23.3% 24.6%
3 bedrooms 44% 37.4% 43.5%
4+ bedrooms 18.1% 26.7% 21.4%
At a glance
Median year built 1965 1977 1972
Total housing units 1,863 269,136 4,622,236
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

76.5% owners
Renter-occupied 23.5%
Owner-occupied 76.5%
homeownership rate
Sparta 76.5%
Kent County 70.3%
Michigan 73.2%

Average household size

2.57
Owner-occupied
1.51
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Sparta 2.57
Kent County 2.71
Michigan 2.54

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Sparta Kent County Michigan
Total occupied units 1,828 256,648 4,076,369
Year moved in
2020 or later 26.2% 24.1% 21%
2010 to 2019 34.6% 42% 39.5%
2000 to 2009 20.7% 15.6% 16%
1999 or earlier 18.5% 18.4% 23.4%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 100% 98.1% 98.4%
1.01 to 1.50 0% 1.5% 1.2%
1.51 or more 0% 0.5% 0.4%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 9.1% 6.2% 7%
1 vehicle 32.8% 32.7% 34.8%
2 vehicles 38.5% 42.2% 38.3%
3 or more vehicles 19.6% 18.9% 19.8%
House heating fuel used
Gas 89.4% 86.3% 83.6%
Electricity 7.8% 11.4% 12.1%
Solar 0% 0% 0%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 0.4% 0.4% 0.8%
All other fuels 0.4% 1.5% 3%
No fuel used 2% 0.4% 0.5%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 0% 0.2% 0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen 1.5% 0.6% 0.7%
No telephone service available 2.3% 0.5% 0.7%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$215,400
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Sparta
$215,400
Kent County
$289,900
Michigan
$231,600

Housing Cost Burden

20.5%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
20.5%
Owners without a mortgage
8.4%
Renters
56.4%
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Sparta Kent County Michigan
Property value
Median Value $215,400 $289,900 $231,600
Under $100,000 5% 7.5% 16.8%
$100,000 - $200,000 37.1% 16% 24.7%
$200,000 - $300,000 37.2% 29.4% 23.4%
$300,000 - $500,000 18.1% 33.2% 24.1%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 2.6% 12% 9.2%
$1,000,000 and more 0% 2% 1.6%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 70.1% 62.6% 57.8%
Without a mortgage 29.9% 37.4% 42.2%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $1,408 $1,603 $1,569
Without a mortgage $567 $618 $602
Gross rent
Median rent $983 $1,243 $1,129

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

23.3%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Sparta 23.3%
Kent County 40.8%
Michigan 32.4%

Adults without a high school diploma

7.5%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Sparta 7.5%
Kent County 7.7%
Michigan 8%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

1,078
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
4%
K–12
72.3%
College / Undergraduate
13.3%
Graduate / Professional
10.5%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

26.6%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Sparta
26.6%
Kent County
34.1%
Michigan
41.1%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Sparta Kent County Michigan
Total enrolled (age 3+) 1,078 162,027 2,312,914
Nursery / preschool 4% 7% 5.6%
K–12 72.3% 70.8% 67.9%
Kindergarten 3.4% 5.5% 5.2%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 31.9% 21.7% 19.7%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 14.7% 21.1% 20.8%
High School: Grades 9–12 22.2% 22.5% 22.2%
College or graduate school 23.7% 22.2% 26.5%
College, undergraduate 13.3% 17.5% 21.1%
Graduate, professional school 10.5% 4.7% 5.4%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 26.6% 34.1% 41.1%
School type
Public school 91.4% 78.3% 85.2%
Private school 8.6% 21.7% 14.8%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

2,984
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
2.6%
9th-12th, no diploma
4.9%
HS graduate
34.5%
Some college no degree
21.7%
Associates degree
13%
Bachelors degree
19%
Graduate or professional degree
4.3%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
42.3% · 57.7%
9th-12th, no diploma
17.7% · 82.3%
HS graduate
49.6% · 50.4%
Some college no degree
43.7% · 56.3%
Associates degree
34.9% · 65.1%
Bachelors degree
34.2% · 65.8%
Graduate or professional degree
56.6% · 43.4%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Sparta Kent County Michigan
Population (25+) 2,984 445,698 7,008,507
Less than 9th grade 2.6% 3.4% 2.6%
9th–12th, no diploma 4.9% 4.3% 5.4%
High school diploma or GED 34.5% 23.4% 28%
Some college, no degree 21.7% 19% 21.9%
Associate's degree 13% 9.1% 9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher 23.3% 40.8% 32.4%
Bachelor's degree 19% 26.1% 19.7%
Graduate or professional 4.3% 14.7% 12.7%
High School or higher 92.5% 92.3% 92.1%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$50,502
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$—
HS graduate
$45,382
Some college or associates
$49,226
Bachelors degree
$53,966
Graduate or professional degree
$—

Poverty Rate

0%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
25.8%
HS graduate
13.3%
Some college or associates
4.2%
Bachelors degree or higher
0%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Sparta Kent County Michigan
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $50,502 $52,184 $50,316
Less than high school graduate $— $35,905 $31,851
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $45,382 $39,759 $37,777
Some college or associate's degree $49,226 $45,627 $44,844
Bachelor's degree $53,966 $66,369 $66,893
Graduate or professional degree $— $80,073 $85,195
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 25.8% 19.4% 27.4%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 13.3% 13.6% 15.2%
Some college or associate's degree 4.2% 7.9% 10.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher 0% 3.5% 4.2%

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