Sparta, NC

Town in Alleghany County, NC, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

1,928

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

Median Age

years ∙ half population younger than 51, half older

Diversity Index

51%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

8.1%

foreign-born population

91.9%Native

8.1% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Sparta is a town within Alleghany County, North Carolina, United States.

Location

Town in Alleghany County, NC, US

Co-ordinates

DEC36.502980° N, 81.122598° W

DMS36° 30′ 10.73″ N, 81° 07′ 21.35″ W

Population Density & area

820.4/sq mi (317.1/km²)

Total Area

2.36 sq mi (6.1 km²)

Land Area

2.35 sq mi (6.08 km²) · 99.64%

Water Area

0.01 sq mi (0.02 km²) · 0.36%

Demographics & Living

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

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

47.1% male

Male 47.1%

Female 52.9%

males per 100 females

Sparta 89

Alleghany County 97.6

North Carolina 95.6

Nativity

8.1%

foreign-born population

91.9%Native

8.1% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Sparta 8.1%

Alleghany County 5.1%

North Carolina 9.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

years ∙ half population younger than 51, half older

Sparta

Alleghany County

52.6

North Carolina

39.1

Dependency ratio

89.2

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Sparta 89.2

Alleghany County 89.2

North Carolina 63.8

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Sparta	Alleghany County	North Carolina
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	15.9%	16.4%	21.8%
Working age (18-64)	52.8%	52.9%	61%
Senior (65+)	31.3%	30.7%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	89.2	89.2	63.8
Child dependency ratio	30	31	35.6
Old-age dependency ratio	59.2	58.2	28.2

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

67.2%

Black

4.3%

Asian

2.7%

Hispanic

16.3%

Other

9.5%

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

51%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Sparta 51%

Alleghany County 28.2%

North Carolina 58.4%

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

Racial and ethnic composition — Sparta vs Alleghany County vs North Carolina. Source: ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates.
	Sparta	Alleghany County	North Carolina
Hispanic or Latino	16.3%	11.4%	11.3%
Mexican	9%	8.4%	5.6%
Puerto Rican	0.1%	1.1%	1.3%
Cuban	3.4%	1.1%	0.3%
Other Hispanic / Latino	3.8%	0.9%	4.1%
Not Hispanic or Latino	83.7%	88.6%	88.7%
One race	74.1%	86%	84.6%
White	67.2%	83.9%	60%
Black or African American	4.3%	1.6%	20%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0%	0.1%	0.8%
Asian	2.7%	0.5%	3.3%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0.1%
Some Other Race	0%	0%	0.5%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	9.6%	2.6%	4.1%

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%

Alleghany County 64.3%

North Carolina 64.3%

Average household size

1.87

persons per household

Sparta

1.87

Alleghany County

2.11

North Carolina

2.44

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Sparta population

	Sparta	Alleghany County	North Carolina
Total households	957	5,177	4,282,345
Average houshold size	1.87	2.11	2.44
Family households	531	3,327	2,753,022
Average family size	2.47	2.65	3.03
Married couple family	320	2,866	2,021,951
Other families	211	461	731,071
Male householder	53	185	195,051
Female householder	158	276	536,020
Non-family households	426	1,850	1,529,323
One-person households	392	1,590	1,258,822
Male householder	183	725	544,050
Senior (65+) living alone	83	344	160,332
Female householder	209	865	714,772
Senior (65+) living alone	152	550	342,051
Other living arrangements	34	260	270,501

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

1,066

housing units

Sparta 1,066

Alleghany County 7,804

North Carolina 4,895,668

Occupancy status

89.8% occupied

Occupied 89.8%

Vacant 10.2%

vacancy rate

Sparta 10.2%

Alleghany County 33.7%

North Carolina 12.5%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

72.4%

Single family houses

72.4%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

25.2%

Mobile homes

2.3%

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

1971

Half of houses were built before 1971, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

1.9%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

49%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

39.9%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

9.2%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Sparta	Alleghany County	North Carolina
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	4.9	5.3	5.6
1–3 rooms	13.3%	9.4%	11.4%
4–6 rooms	67.6%	65.8%	54.9%
7+ rooms	19%	24.9%	33.6%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	3.6%	2.4%	1.9%
1 bedroom	11.4%	6.2%	7.1%
2 bedrooms	29.5%	27.1%	23.8%
3 bedrooms	48%	50.6%	46.2%
4+ bedrooms	7.4%	13.7%	21%
At a glance
Median year built	1971	1979	1992
Total housing units	1,066	7,804	4,895,668

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

58.2% owners

Renter-occupied 41.8%

Owner-occupied 58.2%

homeownership rate

Sparta 58.2%

Alleghany County 74.4%

North Carolina 66.6%

Average household size

1.92

Owner-occupied

1.8

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Sparta 1.92

Alleghany County 2.2

North Carolina 2.54

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Sparta	Alleghany County	North Carolina
Total occupied units	957	5,177	4,282,345
Year moved in
2020 or later	22.1%	15.9%	26.2%
2010 to 2019	44.3%	38.4%	39.2%
2000 to 2009	18.2%	17.6%	16.2%
1999 or earlier	15.5%	28%	18.5%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	98.5%	97.7%	97.8%
1.01 to 1.50	0%	1.7%	1.5%
1.51 or more	1.5%	0.6%	0.7%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	20.7%	6%	5.3%
1 vehicle	39.6%	29.8%	31.4%
2 vehicles	28.8%	30.3%	38%
3 or more vehicles	10.9%	33.8%	25.2%
House heating fuel used
Gas	15.2%	17.7%	30.5%
Electricity	61.9%	50%	65.5%
Solar	0%	0%	0.1%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	19%	22%	2%
All other fuels	3.8%	10%	1.3%
No fuel used	0%	0.4%	0.7%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.8%	0.2%	0.3%
Lacking complete kitchen	0.5%	0.5%	0.6%
No telephone service available	1.5%	2.1%	0.8%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$209,600

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Sparta

$209,600

Alleghany County

$214,800

North Carolina

$288,900

Housing Cost Burden

36.6%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

36.6%

Owners without a mortgage

9.6%

Renters

54.2%

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	Alleghany County	North Carolina
Property value
Median Value	$209,600	$214,800	$288,900
Under $100,000	8.9%	16.5%	12.7%
$100,000 - $200,000	38.6%	29.2%	18.9%
$200,000 - $300,000	16.2%	19.9%	20.5%
$300,000 - $500,000	23.2%	23.2%	28.3%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	13.1%	9.3%	16.3%
$1,000,000 and more	0%	1.8%	3.3%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	64.6%	54%	61.3%
Without a mortgage	35.4%	46%	38.7%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,335	$1,259	$1,631
Without a mortgage	$431	$373	$490
Gross rent
Median rent	$563	$675	$1,228

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

21.3%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Sparta 21.3%

Alleghany County 23.6%

North Carolina 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

19.1%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Sparta 19.1%

Alleghany County 16.8%

North Carolina 9.9%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

320

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

0.6%

K–12

75.9%

College / Undergraduate

23.4%

Graduate / Professional

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

25.8%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Sparta

25.8%

Alleghany County

30.6%

North Carolina

39.3%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Sparta	Alleghany County	North Carolina
Total enrolled (age 3+)	320	1,800	2,530,102
Nursery / preschool	0.6%	3.8%	5.3%
K–12	75.9%	77.4%	67.4%
Kindergarten	5%	7.5%	4.9%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	38.4%	21.3%	20%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	19.7%	23.8%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	12.8%	24.8%	21.5%
College or graduate school	23.4%	18.7%	27.3%
College, undergraduate	23.4%	17.8%	21.7%
Graduate, professional school	0%	0.9%	5.6%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	25.8%	30.6%	39.3%
School type
Public school	93.1%	93.5%	82.3%
Private school	6.9%	6.5%	17.7%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

1,471

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

4.8%

9th-12th, no diploma

14.3%

HS graduate

29.4%

Some college no degree

24.3%

Associates degree

5.9%

Bachelors degree

10.8%

Graduate or professional degree

10.5%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

72.9% · 27.1%

9th-12th, no diploma

73.9% · 26.1%

HS graduate

50.1% · 49.9%

Some college no degree

49.9% · 50.1%

Associates degree

20.7% · 79.3%

Bachelors degree

39% · 61%

Graduate or professional degree

1.9% · 98.1%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Sparta	Alleghany County	North Carolina
Population (25+)	1,471	8,699	7,380,330
Less than 9th grade	4.8%	3.6%	3.9%
9th–12th, no diploma	14.3%	13.2%	6%
High school diploma or GED	29.4%	29%	24.8%
Some college, no degree	24.3%	22.2%	19.6%
Associate's degree	5.9%	8.5%	10.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher	21.3%	23.6%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	10.8%	15.8%	22.2%
Graduate or professional	10.5%	7.8%	13.5%
High School or higher	80.9%	83.2%	90.1%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$24,690

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$—

HS graduate

$19,453

Some college or associates

$32,321

Bachelors degree

$52,500

Graduate or professional degree

$23,571

Poverty Rate

1.7%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

25.4%

HS graduate

29.3%

Some college or associates

19.9%

Bachelors degree or higher

1.7%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Sparta	Alleghany County	North Carolina
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$24,690	$35,480	$49,275
Less than high school graduate	$—	$27,000	$31,234
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$19,453	$27,137	$37,346
Some college or associate's degree	$32,321	$38,125	$43,525
Bachelor's degree	$52,500	$59,300	$64,395
Graduate or professional degree	$23,571	$51,307	$80,986
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	25.4%	26%	26.6%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	29.3%	17.1%	15.2%
Some college or associate's degree	19.9%	10.2%	10%
Bachelor's degree or higher	1.7%	5.2%	4.2%

Insights for Sparta, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

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