Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Carthage grades C+ overall, 465th of 745 graded towns in New York, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It reports less crime per resident than 84% of U.S. towns and 8% of its land is conserved. On the other side, the median household income is $58K, and 26% of residents live below the poverty line. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 95% of U.S. towns. 26% of residents live below the poverty line in Carthage, above both the New York town median (9.5%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%).
Where Carthage beats most towns.
3,747 counted in 2010 and 3,236 in 2020; an estimated 3,196 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 4.4% since 2020, after 13.6% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Carthage is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 600 in 1840, a peak of 4,460 in 1930, 3,236 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1864 and 2 maps from 1902 on.
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 Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Carthage.
Carthage gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and is safe by national standards but not by New York’s; it also carries more natural-hazard risk than most of New York (mostly inland flooding).
The median property tax bill is $2,943, against $6,582 across New York, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Carthage home is worth about $207,000, up 3.8% in a year, 61% below the New York typical home. 43% of households own their home in Carthage.
| Carthage | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 43% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $913 a month | $1,103 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Carthage | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.8% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Long Falls Park | 0.1 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 7.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 71% of New York’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
The violent crime rate in Carthage is 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Carthage | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.2 per 1,000 residents | 7.6 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 92% of New York towns; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
Carthage’s FEMA risk score is 73 of 100. Since 1984, 17 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Carthage.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Hooker 12 Nnw weather station, 11 miles away, records that 228 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 100% of U.S. towns.
Carthage has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 79° and January nights drop to 8°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Carthage has about as many jobs (1,201) as working residents, but only 166 people both live and work here. Jobs based here grew from 826 in 2013 to 1,201.
Most working residents leave Carthage for work: only 16% work in town. Jobs based in Carthage grew to 1,201 in 2023, 375 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Wilna (17%), Watertown (15%) and Champion (10%).
| Carthage | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $58,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 10% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 8,381 U.S. towns with household incomes like Carthage’s, it is healthier than 68%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
20% of Carthage adults binge drink. Carthage beats the New York average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 41% of Carthage adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Carthage | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Carthage | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with high cholesterol | 32.7% | 37.7% |
| More smokers | 16.1% | 11.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Carthage; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Carthage residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Village in New York, United States
Carthage is a village in the town of Wilna in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 3,236 at the 2020 census. The village of Carthage is along the southern border of the town of Wilna and is east of Watertown.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Carthage.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carthage | #465 | C+ | B− | A− | B− | C+ |
| Wilna | — | — | B | — | B− | — |
| Champion | #650 | C− | C | — | B− | C+ |
| West Carthage | — | — | C | A+ | B− | C+ |
| Denmark | #557 | C | C+ | — | B | C+ |
West Carthage has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Wilna, Champion and Denmark report no FBI crime data of their own. Wilna 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 C+ overall, better than 41% of U.S. towns and #465 of 745 in New York. It grades C+ for health, A− for safety and B− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.1 years of the area's median household income ($66,301 across the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.