Sparta, Illinois demographics

Sparta, IL demographics: median age 41.4; 18.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree. Age, race, households, languages and education, ACS 2020–2024 with margins of error.

ACS 2020–2024 · Sparta city, Illinois · Incorporated city · GEOID 1771448. The survey estimates a population of 4,068 for its five-year window. This is separate from the annual July 2025 population estimate on the city overview.

Median age in Sparta is 41.4 years, with a 90% margin of error of 4.3 years. There are 1,932 households (±130). Age and household distributions show how these totals are composed; they do not establish which neighborhood suits a particular person.

Every count and share is an estimate. “±” is a 90% margin of error (MOE); pp means percentage points. Derived shares use the category count divided by the named universe. Aggregated category MOEs and percentage MOEs are approximate. A margin larger than half its estimate is flagged as low precision. Blank source uncertainty is shown as unavailable, never zero.

Age distribution and sex

City, state and U.S. estimates · ACS 2020–2024
Measure / survey universe City estimate ± MOE State estimate ± MOE U.S. estimate ± MOE
Median age Total population · years 41.4 ±4.3 39.0 ±0.1 38.9 ±0.1
Age groups · B01001 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 4,068
Category Count ± MOE Share ± MOE (pp) Illinois U.S.
Under 18 935 ±180 23.0% ±4.4 pp 21.8% 22.0%
18–34 834 ±162 20.5% ±4.0 pp 22.7% 22.8%
35–64 1,264 ±215 31.1% ±5.3 pp 38.5% 38.0%
65 and older 1,035 ±200 25.4% ±4.9 pp 17.0% 17.2%
Sex categories as published by ACS · B01001 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 4,068
Category Count ± MOE Share ± MOE (pp) Illinois U.S.
Male 1,836 ±157 45.1% ±3.9 pp 49.4% 49.5%
Female 2,232 ±159 54.9% ±3.9 pp 50.6% 50.5%

The age groups are mutually exclusive and cover the entire population. The sex categories follow this ACS table’s published classification; they are not a survey of gender identity.

Race and Hispanic origin

Race · B02001 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 4,068
Category Count ± MOE Share ± MOE (pp) Illinois U.S.
White alone 3,299 ±168 81.1% ±4.1 pp 61.0% 61.0%
Black or African American alone 543 ±173 13.3% ±4.3 pp 13.6% 12.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone 0 ±13 · low precision 0.0% ±0.3 pp · low precision 0.6% 0.9%
Asian alone 7 ±23 · low precision 0.2% ±0.6 pp · low precision 6.0% 6.0%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone 0 ±13 · low precision 0.0% ±0.3 pp · low precision 0.0% 0.2%
Some other race alone 15 ±21 · low precision 0.4% ±0.5 pp · low precision 7.9% 7.1%
Two or more races 204 ±125 · low precision 5.0% ±3.1 pp · low precision 10.9% 12.6%
Hispanic or Latino origin · B03003 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 4,068
Category Count ± MOE Share ± MOE (pp) Illinois U.S.
Not Hispanic or Latino 3,985 ±63 98.0% ±1.5 pp 81.2% 80.7%
Hispanic or Latino 83 ±59 · low precision 2.0% ±1.5 pp · low precision 18.8% 19.3%

Hispanic origin and race are separate questions. People of Hispanic or Latino origin may be of any race and appear in both tables. Do not add the Hispanic share to race shares. Race alone and two-or-more-race groups are the mutually exclusive categories of the race table.

Household types, children and living alone

Household types · B11001 · ACS 2020–2024 Households: 1,932
Category Count ± MOE Share ± MOE (pp) Illinois U.S.
Married-couple family 675 ±114 34.9% ±5.4 pp 45.3% 46.9%
Other family: male householder, no spouse present 55 ±59 · low precision 2.8% ±3.0 pp · low precision 4.9% 5.1%
Other family: female householder, no spouse present 324 ±139 16.8% ±7.1 pp 11.9% 12.2%
Nonfamily: householder living alone 685 ±157 35.5% ±7.8 pp 31.2% 28.7%
Nonfamily: householder not living alone 193 ±111 · low precision 10.0% ±5.7 pp · low precision 6.7% 7.0%
Households with children · B11005 · ACS 2020–2024 Households: 1,932
Category Count ± MOE Share ± MOE (pp) Illinois U.S.
Households with people under 18 519 ±123 26.9% ±6.1 pp 28.6% 29.5%
Households without people under 18 1,413 ±170 73.1% ±7.3 pp 71.4% 70.5%
Household size · B11016 · ACS 2020–2024 Households: 1,932
Category Count ± MOE Share ± MOE (pp) Illinois U.S.
One-person nonfamily households 685 ±157 35.5% ±7.8 pp 31.2% 28.7%
Two-person households 695 ±176 36.0% ±8.8 pp 32.3% 33.8%
Three-person households 299 ±114 15.5% ±5.8 pp 14.7% 15.3%
Four-person households 153 ±74 7.9% ±3.8 pp 12.6% 12.6%
Five-person households 81 ±51 · low precision 4.2% ±2.6 pp · low precision 5.8% 5.9%
Six-person households 0 ±18 · low precision 0.0% ±1.0 pp · low precision 2.1% 2.2%
Seven or more people 19 ±35 · low precision 1.0% ±1.8 pp · low precision 1.3% 1.4%

A family household contains related people under the Census definition. A nonfamily household can contain one person or unrelated people sharing a home. Households with children can also appear in the household-type and size tables, so those tables must not be added together. Household estimates exclude people living in group quarters from the household universe.

Nativity and languages spoken at home

Nativity · B05002 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 4,068
Category Count ± MOE Share ± MOE (pp) Illinois U.S.
Native 4,068 ±16 100.0% ±0.0 pp 85.3% 85.9%
Foreign born 0 ±13 · low precision 0.0% ±0.3 pp · low precision 14.7% 14.1%
Language spoken at home · C16001 · ACS 2020–2024 Population age 5 and older: 3,908
Category Count ± MOE Share ± MOE (pp) Illinois U.S.
English only 3,896 ±91 99.7% ±3.3 pp 76.0% 77.7%
Spanish 0 ±13 · low precision 0.0% ±0.3 pp · low precision 14.0% 13.6%
French, Haitian, or Cajun 0 ±13 · low precision 0.0% ±0.3 pp · low precision 0.3% 0.7%
German or other West Germanic 12 ±19 · low precision 0.3% ±0.5 pp · low precision 0.3% 0.5%
Russian, Polish, or other Slavic 0 ±13 · low precision 0.0% ±0.3 pp · low precision 2.5% 0.7%
Other Indo-European 0 ±13 · low precision 0.0% ±0.3 pp · low precision 2.6% 2.0%
Korean 0 ±13 · low precision 0.0% ±0.3 pp · low precision 0.3% 0.3%
Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese 0 ±13 · low precision 0.0% ±0.3 pp · low precision 0.9% 1.1%
Vietnamese 0 ±13 · low precision 0.0% ±0.3 pp · low precision 0.2% 0.5%
Tagalog, including Filipino 0 ±13 · low precision 0.0% ±0.3 pp · low precision 0.7% 0.6%
Other Asian and Pacific Island 0 ±13 · low precision 0.0% ±0.3 pp · low precision 1.0% 1.1%
Arabic 0 ±13 · low precision 0.0% ±0.3 pp · low precision 0.6% 0.5%
Other and unspecified 0 ±13 · low precision 0.0% ±0.3 pp · low precision 0.6% 0.8%

Foreign born means not a U.S. citizen at birth; it includes naturalized citizens. Language categories describe speech at home among people age five and older. A language other than English at home does not establish that someone cannot speak English. This city page uses the published C16001 summary categories because the more detailed B16001 table does not provide these city records in this release.

Educational attainment

Highest completed education · B15003 · ACS 2020–2024 Population age 25 and older: 2,697
Category Count ± MOE Share ± MOE (pp) Illinois U.S.
Less than high school graduate 211 ±96 7.8% ±3.5 pp 9.5% 10.4%
High school graduate or equivalency 926 ±248 34.3% ±9.0 pp 25.1% 26.0%
Some college, no degree 716 ±200 26.5% ±7.2 pp 19.2% 19.1%
Associate’s degree 341 ±101 12.6% ±3.7 pp 8.3% 8.8%
Bachelor’s degree 381 ±138 14.1% ±5.0 pp 22.6% 21.6%
Graduate or professional degree 122 ±60 4.5% ±2.2 pp 15.3% 14.1%

The denominator excludes residents under 25. Each person is counted in the highest attainment category they completed. This table does not measure the quality of local schools or the education level of every current student.

Residence one year earlier

Geographic mobility · B07003 · ACS 2020–2024 Population age 1 and older: 4,006
Category Count ± MOE Share ± MOE (pp) Illinois U.S.
Same house 3,529 ±199 88.1% ±4.8 pp 88.9% 87.7%
Moved within same county 173 ±97 · low precision 4.3% ±2.4 pp · low precision 6.4% 6.3%
Moved from a different county in the same state 251 ±129 · low precision 6.3% ±3.2 pp · low precision 2.4% 3.1%
Moved from a different state 53 ±76 · low precision 1.3% ±1.9 pp · low precision 1.6% 2.3%
Moved from abroad 0 ±13 · low precision 0.0% ±0.3 pp · low precision 0.6% 0.6%

These are respondents’ residence patterns one year before their survey response, pooled across the five-year window. They are not a net migration count for 2025. A person can move to a different house within the same city or county; moves within the same county should not automatically be interpreted as new arrivals to the city.

Health insurance, internet access and veterans

5.5% of Sparta residents (±2.2 percentage points) had no health insurance coverage when surveyed, compared with 6.9% in Illinois and 8.4% nationally. 88.7% of households subscribe to broadband of any type, including cellular data plans. A subscription is not the same as available service: the FCC National Broadband Map shows providers at a specific address.

City, state and U.S. shares · ACS 2020–2024
Measure Sparta Illinois U.S. Compared with Illinois
People without health insurance Civilian noninstitutionalized population 5.5% ±2.2 pp 6.9% 8.4% Not statistically different
Households with a broadband subscription Households 88.7% ±1.5 pp 90.8% 91.0% Lower
Veterans Civilian population age 18 and older 8.3% ±3.4 pp 4.8% 6.2% Higher

Reading and reusing the estimates

The Census table links above lead to the original detailed tables. Counts, source universes and uncertainty are retained in the source observation download for Sparta . Compare these figures with the same survey window; do not compare one city’s five-year estimate with another city’s annual estimate as though they measured the same period. For methods, see uncertainty and denominator calculations.

Read Sparta housing and cost context or return to the city profile.

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