Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Carthage gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $338K, 3.9 years of the Pinehurst metro’s $86K median household income. It grades A overall, 8th among North Carolina's 286 graded towns. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. Only 25 of North Carolina’s 451 towns score higher on history. The biggest park or preserve is Hillcrest Park, at 39 acres. 82% of households own their home in Carthage, above both the North Carolina town median (67%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%).
Where Carthage beats most towns.
Union County Courthouse
Census counts: 366 in 1880, a low of 366 in 1880, 2,775 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1887 and 2 maps from 1974 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Carthage is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
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.
2,097 jobs are based in Carthage, 2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Carthage for work: only 8% work in town. Since 2013, Carthage has added 279 jobs, to 2,097 in 2023. 14% of Carthage residents live below the poverty line.
| Carthage | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $83,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Moore County Schools. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Union Pines High, with 1,462 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Century MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 602 | B+ |
| Union Pines HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,462 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Carthage has mild winters and warm summers. The July high in Carthage is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 44% of residents (38% statewide). Carthage has grown 11% since 2020, to 3,070 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Carthage’s median age is 44.7 years.
| Carthage | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 44.7 years | 40.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 18% | 18% |
54% women, 46% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.1 points. Across North Carolina, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Carthage | NC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.7% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.3% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.2% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 6.4% | 13.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.6% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 17.9% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.4% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.4% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.1% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.1% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 18.2% | 24.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 29.4% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.8% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 12.6% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 18% | 13.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,100, single groups can be off by several points
Carthage's reported crime rate is close to North Carolina's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 5 violent crimes were reported in 2022.
| Carthage | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 1.8 per 1,000 residents | 3.6 | 1.9 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 22.5 per 1,000 residents | 24.8 | 14.1 |
FBI crime data, 2022 · crimes reported to police
| Carthage | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.5% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Nancy Kyser Park | 0.4 mi | 9 |
| 2. Lake Luke Marion | 0.3 mi | 13 |
| 3. Hillcrest Park | — | 39 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Carthage beats the North Carolina average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 14% of adults binge drink in Carthage.
| Carthage | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 13% | 12% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 80% | 79% |
| What stands out | Carthage | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 11.1% | 13.9% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4.3% | 3.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Carthage home is worth about $338,000, up 1.6% in a year, close to the North Carolina typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Carthage
About 4 of every 100 Carthage residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
2,205 counted in 2010 and 2,775 in 2020; an estimated 3,070 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 10.8% since 2020, after 25.9% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
6 places in Carthage on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Carthage.
City in North Carolina, United States
Carthage is a city in and the county seat of Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,775 at the 2020 census, up from 2,205 in 2010. Carthage is named after the ancient city of Carthage in modern Tunisia (North Africa).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Carthage.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carthage | #8 | A | A+ | — | B+ | B− |
| Southern Pines | #128 | C+ | C− | C− | B+ | A |
Carthage reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Carthage with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Carthage grades A overall, better than 87% of U.S. towns and #8 of 286 in North Carolina. 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+.
5 notable people were born here, including Garry Cobb and George W. McIver.
