Household incomes in West Carthage trail those of 88% of U.S. towns
About one in seven work in West Carthage; the top destination outside it is Champion (19%, 4 miles). 10.4% of residents are in poverty, next to 14.0% for New York as a whole. The two grades for West Carthage are C− for jobs and income and B+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from West Carthage, in brief
West Carthage and Champion trade workers both ways
Champion is the top workplace for West Carthage residents (19%) and also where the most people who work in West Carthage come from (21% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Commutes from West Carthage are quick
The average trip to work takes 21 minutes, against 33 across New York. That’s about 92 hours a year less on the road than the typical New York worker. Time on the road ↓
West Carthage has added jobs fast
Jobs based in West Carthage went from 460 in 2014 to 672 in 2024, +46%. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 552 working residents, small shifts move the shares; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
Income, poverty and work: West Carthage’s grade explained
On income, poverty and job access, West Carthage is better than 16% of U.S. towns. The poverty rate holds West Carthage’s grade up; household income pulls it down ($49,885, U.S. $80,734).
Unemployment (0.4%) is left out: West Carthage’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income and poverty, West Carthage could be anywhere from D to C.
Where the trip to work from West Carthage ends
Where West Carthage clocks in
12% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
About 21 minutes to work from West Carthage
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Carthage workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 790 commuters (the 10% who work from home are left out). Across New York: 57% drive alone, 25% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
What West Carthage’s employers do
672 jobs are based in West Carthage.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Carthage, 2014 → 2024: 460 → 672. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs West Carthage’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Who commutes out of West Carthage, and who commutes in
On a workday 482 residents head out to work, 70 work right here, and 602 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.22 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from West Carthage
About 27% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Few in West Carthage walk, bike or ride to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, West Carthage is more walkable than 72% of U.S. towns. Both inputs place West Carthage near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 880 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 18.0% of West Carthage households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of West Carthage’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, West Carthage is 4,359th of 5,760 U.S. towns of 1,200 to 2,300
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 1% | A+ |
| 2 | Plandome NY | 1,482 | $250K | 0.9% | 1.4% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Hewlett Harbor NY | 1,332 | $250K | 1.9% | 7.2% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 8 | Atlantic Beach NY | 1,723 | $166K | 1.8% | 3.1% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,357 | Iron River WI | 1,274 | $58K | 9.6% | 1.3% | 17% | C− |
| 4,358 | Warsaw KY | 1,757 | $61K | 24.6% | 6.8% | 13% | C− |
| 4,359 | West Carthage NY | 1,721 | $50K | 10.4% | 0.4% | 13% | C− |
| 4,360 | Kemp TX | 1,453 | $56K | 25.2% | 2.7% | 1% | C− |
| 4,361 | Odin Township IL | 1,526 | $58K | 15.1% | 3.2% | 3% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 5,760 | Paraje NM | 1,333 | $33K | 61.7% | 0.0% | 7% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of West Carthage, the top three, the last and three more from New York.
31% of West Carthage works in a bordering town
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Carthage workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Carthage | – | C− | B+ | 21 min | $49,885 |
| Carthage | under 2% | D | B− | 28 min | $58,125 |
| Wilna | 12% | D | B− | 24 min | $60,213 |
| Champion | 19% | D | B− | 20 min | $56,875 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Champion. Darker towns draw more of West Carthage’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in West Carthage: questions
What is the median household income in West Carthage?
$49,885 (±$5,089) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Carthage?
10.4%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Carthage?
21 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Carthage work?
13% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Champion (19%, 4 mi), Watertown (12%, 14 mi), Wilna (12%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is West Carthage walkable?
West Carthage is more walkable than 72% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 7.8 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around West Carthage without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 18% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Carthage, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Carthage
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.