The township is in northwestern Kent County and is bordered to the west by Ottawa County. It contains the village of Sparta. According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of, of which are land and, or 0.14%, are water. Most of the township is served by ZIP Code 49345, while northern portions are served by 49330. Most of the children under 18 are served by Sparta Area Schools. Northern portions are served by Kent City Community Schools.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,938 people, 3,301 households, and 2,409 families residing in the township. The population density was 244.7 per square mile. There were 3,449 housing units at an average density of 94.4 per square mile. The racial makeup of the township was 96.13% White, 0.47% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.54% from other races, and 1.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.58% of the population. There were 3,301 households out of which 38.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couplesliving together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.14. In the township the population was spread out with 29.5% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median agewas 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males. The median income for a household in the township was $42,992, and the median income for a family was $49,491. Males had a median income of $36,498 versus $24,186 for females. The per capita income for the township was $18,345. About 3.6% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.4% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
