Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0How is South Carthage run?
South Carthage’s town government spent $650,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $462 per resident.
What stands out about how South Carthage is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $462 per resident a year, or $1.27 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 38%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$462 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
South Carthage’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($462 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 113 Tennessee cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $579, and the middle half spent $297–$828. South Carthage spent less than 55% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($197,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Tennessee cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; South Carthage itself left out).
No trend yet
South Carthage reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,120 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.56% of the home’s value, vs 0.50% across Tennessee.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at South 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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to South Carthage’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in South Carthage →
Who’s in charge in South Carthage
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 156 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (1,406).
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.
Smith County School District
South Carthage’s K–12 school district, shared with Carthage, Gordonsville. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,672 per pupil, $7,098 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.
Tennessee districts overall: 40% local, 44% state, 16% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
South Carthage’s votes are counted by county
Tennessee reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for South Carthage alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Smith County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican82.0%7,655 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat17.1%1,595 votesOthers: 0.9% (86 votes).
Most votes in Smith County: Donald J Trump
Tennessee: Trump 64.2%, Harris 34.5%
100% of South Carthage lies in Smith County. Every 2024 race in Smith County is on the county’s page.
Smith 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 South Carthage.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Tennessee HouseState representatives
- 3Tennessee SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Tennessee
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach South Carthage’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about South Carthage’s government
How much does South Carthage spend per resident?
About $462 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $462 was less than 55% of 113 Tennessee cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in South Carthage?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,120 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.56% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.50% across Tennessee. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs South Carthage’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for South Carthage yet.
How did South Carthage vote in 2024?
Tennessee counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for South Carthage alone. Smith County, where 100% of South Carthage lies, voted Trump 82.0%, Harris 17.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for South Carthage?
9 full-time and 30 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $34,661 (about $415,932 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents South Carthage in the state legislature?
State Senate District 15 (Paul Bailey) and State House District 40 (Michael Hale). The House district also covers nine other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about South 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 →