Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,864, established in 1834.
Carthage grades D overall, 74th of 99 graded towns in Mississippi, mostly because of health and incomes. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 96% of the country. The median household income is $42K, and 30% of residents live below the poverty line. In its favor, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 78% of U.S. towns. 30% of residents live below the poverty line in Carthage, against 21% in Mississippi’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Only 5 of Mississippi’s 148 towns score lower on civic life. Carthage has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Carthage Historic District and Jordan House.
Where Carthage beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Carthage is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 285 in 1880, 4,901 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2011 and 2 maps from 1961 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Carthage. Close and well known come first.
9 mi ParkwayNatchez Trace Parkway8.0M visitors a year
36 mi State parkNanih Waiya39 mi PlanetariumRainwater Observatory and PlanetariumNatchez Trace Parkway: Carol M. Highsmith (1946–), Public domain · Nanih Waiya: Ditch Fisher, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Carthage, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Carthage.
Carthage has an unusually large share working from home, but it has little public open land.
Only 2 of the 101 Mississippi towns we compare have a higher share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Carthage. 80% of adults had a checkup this year in Carthage. Carthage beats the Mississippi average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 12.
| Carthage | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 24% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 36% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 27% | 19% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 12% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Carthage | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.4% | 7.6% |
| More uninsured adults | 18.2% | 11.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Leake County School District. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Leake Central High School, with 592 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leake Central Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 850 | C− |
| Leake Central High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 592 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
Carthage has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Carthage is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
23.1% of workers work from home, against 5.9% across Mississippi.
Most working residents leave Carthage for work: only 19% work in town. Carthage’s average trip to work is 30 minutes. The top destinations are Jackson (7%), Pearl River (6%) and Forest (5%).
| Carthage | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $42,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 20% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Carthage home is worth about $163,000, up 5.3% in a year, 16% below the Mississippi typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Adults 35 to 64 are 32% of residents (37% statewide). 20% of Carthage adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Carthage | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 35.6 years | 37 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 20% | 25% | 29% |
54% women, 46% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.9 points. Across Mississippi, 51.5% of residents are women.
| Carthage | MS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 18% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.2% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.9% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.7% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.3% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 7.2% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.5% | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.2% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.1% | 12.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 36.5% | 29.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.4% | 21.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.5% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 7.7% | 15.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,900, single groups can be off by several points
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 20 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Carthage.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Just 53 of its 5,963 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Carthage itself; its outdoors grade is C−.
0.5 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is McMillian Park, at 46 acres.
| Carthage | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.9% | 2.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. McMillian Park | 0.4 mi | 46 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Carthage; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Carthage residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Mississippi.
8 notable people were born in Carthage.
City in the United States
The city of Carthage is the county seat of Leake County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, Carthage had a population of 4,901. Carthage is home to the Carthage Historic District including the Leake County Courthouse, a Mississippi Landmark. The largest chicken processing plant in the world is located in Carthage.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Carthage.
Carthage reports no FBI crime data of its own. Redwater isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Carthage with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Carthage grades D overall, better than 9% of U.S. towns and #74 of 99 in Mississippi. It grades D− for health and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.2 years of the area's median household income ($50,728 across the county).
Carthage was established in 1834 and has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 8 notable people were born here, including John Johnson and Marcus Mann.
