Photo: Marduk · Public domainHow is Carthage run?
Carthage’s city government spent $1.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $283 per resident.
What stands out about how Carthage is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Leake County School District
Carthage’s K–12 school district, shared with Lena, Walnut Grove. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,106 per pupil, $6,328 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.
Mississippi districts overall: 33% local, 45% state, 23% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $283 per resident a year, or $0.78 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 98%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison or trend for Carthage yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Carthage’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2024 only (2022 is an estimate), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $1,695 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.09% of the home’s value, vs 0.72% across Mississippi.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
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 →
Who’s in charge in Carthage
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 83 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (4,813).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Carthage’s votes are counted by county
Mississippi 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 Leake County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican61.4%5,143 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat38.0%3,182 votesOthers: 0.7% (55 votes).
Most votes in Leake County: Donald J Trump
Mississippi: Trump 60.9%, Harris 38.0%
100% of Carthage lies in Leake County. Every 2024 race in Leake County is on the county’s page.
Leake County’s 2024 results →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.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Carthage.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Mississippi HouseCarthage is split between 2 districts
- 3Mississippi SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Mississippi
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Carthage compares with the towns next door
Carthage’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. None of its neighbors reported 2022 figures. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Carthage | estimate | $1,695 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Carthage’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Carthage’s government
How much does Carthage spend per resident?
About $283 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Carthage?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,695 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.09% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.72% across Mississippi. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Carthage’s government?
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?
Mississippi counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Carthage alone. Leake County, where 100% of Carthage lies, voted Trump 61.4%, Harris 38.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Carthage?
58 full-time and 24 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $208,925 (about $2.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Carthage in the state legislature?
Carthage is split among 2 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Mississippi Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Carthage’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
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; 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 →