Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
4.3 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Illinois town.
Carthage Township gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $124K, 1.9 years of the county’s $66K median household income. It grades A− overall, 179th among Illinois's 767 graded towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 94% of U.S. towns. 32% of working residents work locally in Carthage Township, above both Illinois’ towns (8.3%) and U.S. towns (8%). Carthage Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 100% of U.S. towns. Only 65 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns score higher on history.
Where Carthage Township beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Carthage Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 400 in 1850, a peak of 3,350 in 1970, 2,490 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1851 and 2 maps from 1933 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Carthage Township, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Carthage Township.
July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 17° and about 22 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Two of its 6 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. The largest public high school is Illini West High School, with 349 students. Carthage ESD 317 runs its public schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carthage Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 238 | B− |
| Illini West High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 349 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
The average commute for its 1,383 working residents takes 19 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois. Jobs based here grew from 1,010 in 2013 to 1,688.
One in 3 of Carthage Township’s working residents works locally. The town had 1,688 jobs in 2023, up 678 from 2013. The average trip to work in the town is 19 minutes. The top destinations are Carthage (29%), Macomb (6%) and Keokuk (3%).
| Carthage Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.2% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Illinois has 38% of adults 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more; here it is 34%. People 65 and older are nearly a quarter of residents (17% statewide). For Carthage Township, the median age is 44.1 years. The Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate puts Carthage Township at 2,848 residents, down 4.5% since 2020.
| Carthage Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 44.1 years | 40.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 20% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 29% | 29% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.3 points. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Carthage Township | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.7% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.2% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.9% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.1% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.1% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.4% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.8% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.8% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.5% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.1% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.8% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.5% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.3% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.8% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,800, single groups can be off by several points
Four fifths of Carthage Township adults had a checkup this year. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Carthage Township is ahead of Illinois on 7 and behind on 6. In Carthage Township, 33% of adults sleep under 7 hours, and 16% report frequent mental distress.
| Carthage Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 35% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 17% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 80% | 78% | 79% |
| What stands out | Carthage Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9% | 13.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7% | 9.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.9% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Carthage Township after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2011. Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 58% of U.S. communities. Flood insurance has paid out on 3 claims in the town since 1982.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The biggest park or preserve is Jaycee Park, at 44 acres. Across 3 parks and preserves: 1.3 miles of trail. Parks and preserves in Carthage Township: 3, covering 54 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jaycee Park | — | 44 |
| 2. Joe Grate Sports Complex | — | 9 |
| 3. WOW Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Carthage Township; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Carthage Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
City in the United States
Carthage is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Its population was 2,490 as of the 2020 census. Carthage is best known for being the site of the 1844 killing of Joseph Smith, who founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Carthage Township.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carthage Township | #179 | A− | A | — | B− | B |
| Prairie Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hancock Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pilot Grove Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Harmony Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Carthage Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Prairie Township, Hancock Township, Pilot Grove Township and Harmony Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Carthage Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Carthage Township grades A− overall, better than 84% of U.S. towns and #179 of 767 in Illinois. It grades B for health and B− for schools.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.