Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Carthage

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Carthage Missouri 10-18-2008Photo: Maureen Didde from Kansas City, MO, USA · CC BY 2.0
Town Hall · Carthage

Carthage runs its own hospital

Carthage’s city government spent $13.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $871 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Carthage didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Missouri.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$13.5M
year to June 30, 2024 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2024
$871
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$12.2M
end of FY2024 · Census estimate
City staff, 2025
115
full-time, hospital & welfare staff apart (115 in all) · March payroll $566,751
Typical tax bill
$1,095
0.75% of home value · MO 0.85%

What stands out about how Carthage is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Runs a hospital$69,000 for a hospital the city runs in 2024, shown apart from day-to-day spending.Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Runs its own water & sewer70% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (a Census estimate).A shared school districtShares Carthage R-IX School District with 3 other towns.
★ What stands out · Your share of the 2024 budget

About $871 per resident a year, or $2.39 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 26%.

Where the money comes from
Utility sales 58%Sales taxes 19%From the state 7%Fees & charges 6%Interest, fines & other 4%Property taxes 3%Other taxes & licenses 2%
An estimate

Carthage didn’t report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

Not in the receipt.Building projects $709,000; interest on debt $1.5 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $47.6 million.
Why the hospital is apart.The Census Bureau counts the hospital it runs in the city’s books ($69,000, 0% of all operations). Only 135 of the 11,301 towns and cities of 2,500+ run one (Census finance files), so it is shown here and left out of every per-resident comparison.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Carthage yet

Every year of Carthage’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022–2024. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.

How Town Hall compares budgets →
City staff
115

full-time in March 2025 (hospital, health & welfare left out), up from 109 in 2022.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,095 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.75% of the home’s value, vs 0.85% across Missouri.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Missouri$1,948
Carthage$1,095
$1,095
typical bill a year
0.75%
effective rate
$146,800
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Carthage’s rate.

Can I afford it? →

The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.

Tax bills are one input to Carthage’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Carthage →

Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Carthage’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Carthage

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See carthagemo.gov for Carthage’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Carthage yet.carthagemo.gov ↗
Who works for Carthage

One full-time city employee for every 135 residents, not counting hospital, health & welfare staff

On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (15,491).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Police37 + 5 pt
Fire28
Parks & libraries12 + 25 pt
Roads & transportation17
Administration & buildings7 + 1 pt
Sewer & trash3
Courts, inspections & corrections2 + 1 pt
Other9 + 2 pt
Run separately
Hospital, health & welfare0 + 3 pt
115
full-time, hospital, health & welfare apart
37
part-time
$566,751
payroll for March 2025
$6.8M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$52,000
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
31
sworn police officers
27
full-time firefighters
The hospital.The 0 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff include the hospital the city runs, so they are counted apart, as the hospitals are in the budget. The payroll figures cover every employee, the hospital’s included: the Census file doesn’t split pay by function.
Not compared.Staff are compared with the same group as the budget, and Carthage’s 2022 budget was a Census estimate, so there is no group to compare with.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Carthage R-IX School District

Carthage’s K–12 school district, shared with Brooklyn Heights, Fidelity, Carytown. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Carthage →
$11,767
per pupil · MO $14,569
5,062
students
$32.3 million
long-term debt

Of the $11,767 per pupil, $6,831 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 29%State 53%Federal 18%

Missouri districts overall: 54% local, 35% state, 11% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Carthage’s votes are counted by county

Missouri reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Carthage alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Jasper County’s results.

President · Jasper County’s results53,807 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican72.6%39,084 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat25.9%13,943 votes

Others: 1.4% (780 votes).

Most votes in Jasper County: Donald J Trump

Missouri: Trump 58.5%, Harris 40.1%

The county’s page

100% of Carthage lies in Jasper County. Every 2024 race in Jasper County is on the county’s page.

Jasper County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.

Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.

Who represents Carthage

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Carthage.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: carthagemo.gov ↗
  2. 2
    Missouri HouseState representatives
    Cathy Loy
  3. 3
    Missouri SenateState senator
    Jill Carter
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Mike Kehoe
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Eric Burlison
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Missouri
    Josh HawleyEric Schmitt

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Reach Carthage’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websitecarthagemo.gov ↗

Questions about Carthage’s government

How much does Carthage spend per resident?

About $871 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Carthage didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $47.6 million.

What is the property tax rate in Carthage?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,095 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.75% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.85% across Missouri. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see carthagemo.gov.

Who runs Carthage’s government?

See carthagemo.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Carthage yet.

How did Carthage vote in 2024?

Missouri counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Carthage alone. Jasper County, where 100% of Carthage lies, voted Trump 72.6%, Harris 25.9% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Carthage?

115 full-time and 37 part-time employees in March 2025 (plus 0 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $566,751 (about $6.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Carthage in the state legislature?

State Senate District 32 (Jill Carter) and State House District 163 (Cathy Loy). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Carthage?

The next posted meeting is Tree Board on Tuesday, November 3, at 4:30 pm in Parks & Recreation Office, 720 Robert Ellis Young Drive, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Carthage’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (for Carthage, the Bureau’s estimates); day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →