Carthage, IL Demographics

Population 2,975 · Census ACS 2020–24

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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
Carthage, IL map of median age by neighborhood
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Population and households in Carthage

Household size in Carthage

Household size, people per household
PeriodCarthageIllinoisU.S.
2006–102.312.692.68
2010–142.212.712.73
2015–192.142.662.71
2020–242.202.582.65
Change−0.11−0.11−0.03
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Carthage is a place of small households, averaging 2.20 people against 2.65 for the U.S., which points to many singles, couples and roommates and relatively few children. Household size has dropped from 2.31 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.

Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).

Median age in Carthage

Median age, years
PeriodCarthageIllinoisU.S.
2006–1044.437.637.7
2010–1445.838.538.6
2015–1949.239.639.6
2020–2445.840.240.1
Change+1.4+2.6+2.3
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Carthage skews older: half of its residents are older than 45.8, well above the national median of 40.1. That usually means more empty nesters and retirees, and fewer young families.

Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).

Single-parent households in Carthage

Single-parent households, % of households
PeriodCarthageIllinoisU.S.
2006–109.8%11.7%12.3%
2010–149.6%11.7%12.3%
2015–194.6%11.1%11.6%
2020–242.8%11.3%11.6%
Change−7.1 pts−0.4 pts−0.6 pts
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Single parents head only 2.8% of households in Carthage, well below the national share of 11.6%.

Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).

Housing in Carthage

Renters in Carthage

Renters, % of occupied homes
PeriodCarthageIllinoisU.S.
2006–1025.0%30.8%33.3%
2010–1428.1%33.1%35.6%
2015–1923.7%33.9%36.0%
2020–2422.6%32.9%34.8%
Change−2.4 pts+2.1 pts+1.5 pts
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Carthage is largely a place of homeowners: only 22.6% of households rent, far below the national share of 34.8%. Owner-heavy areas like this tend to see less turnover. Among homeowners, 50.5% have no mortgage at all, well above the national share of 39.8%.

Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).

Vacant homes in Carthage

Vacant homes, % of all homes
PeriodCarthageIllinoisU.S.
2006–1016.2%10.0%11.4%
2010–1412.6%10.1%11.4%
2015–1918.9%9.8%11.1%
2020–2416.0%8.1%9.6%
Change−0.3 pts−1.9 pts−1.8 pts
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Vacant homes make up 16.0% of the housing in Carthage, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.

Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).

Age of homes in Carthage

Age of homes, median year built
PeriodCarthageIllinoisU.S.
2006–10195119661974
2010–14196019671975
2015–19195919681977
2020–24196219701980
Change+11+4+6
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The housing in Carthage is old by national standards: the median home dates to 1962, against 1980 for the U.S., so buyers will find more older houses, some of them due for updates.

Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).

Rent in Carthage

Rent, per month
PeriodCarthageIllinoisU.S.
2006–10$477$953$965
2010–14$542$1,028$1,040
2015–19$545$1,165$1,213
2020–24$686$1,428$1,571
Change+$209+$475+$606
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Rent in Carthage runs $686 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 19.7% of household income on rent, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally.

Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).

Education in Carthage

Bachelor's degrees in Carthage

Bachelor's degrees, % of adults 25+
PeriodCarthageIllinoisU.S.
2006–1020.9%31.2%28.4%
2010–1423.1%32.4%29.6%
2015–1929.8%34.7%32.1%
2020–2430.6%37.7%35.6%
Change+9.7 pts+6.5 pts+7.2 pts
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College degrees are a little less common in Carthage than nationally: 30.6% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's or higher, against 35.6%.

Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).

High school graduates in Carthage

High school graduates, % of adults 25+
PeriodCarthageIllinoisU.S.
2006–1092.3%86.3%84.9%
2010–1491.0%87.5%86.1%
2015–1994.2%89.1%87.7%
2020–2492.5%90.3%89.3%
Change+0.2 pts+4.0 pts+4.3 pts
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About nine in ten adults in Carthage have finished high school (92.5%), a bit above the national rate of 89.3%.

High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).

Jobs in Carthage

Unemployment, % of the labor force
PeriodCarthageIllinoisU.S.
2006–107.6%8.7%8.1%
2010–146.0%10.2%9.4%
2015–194.1%6.1%5.6%
2020–240.8%6.0%5.4%
Change−6.8 pts−2.7 pts−2.7 pts
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The job market in Carthage has been strong: just 0.8% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well below the national rate of 5.4%. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.

Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).

Carthage compared with nearby cities

CityHousehold sizeMedian ageSingle parentsRentersVacant homesMedian year builtMedian rentBachelor's degreeHigh school diplomaUnemployment
Carthage2.2045.82.8%22.6%16.0%1962$68630.6%92.5%0.8%
Adrian2.3254.02.7%11.0%18.4%1956$63619.9%93.5%4.4%
McCall2.3754.42.1%10.6%23.0%1963$63122.1%92.1%1.5%
Ferris2.3854.21.9%10.5%22.9%1962$62521.5%91.8%1.2%
Bentley2.2452.03.3%11.7%6.6%1938$62212.0%95.6%10.2%
Burnside2.3959.912.7%14.2%19.2%1944$66918.4%90.4%2.8%
Webster2.8840.28.2%3.0%8.1%1972$63121.8%87.2%2.6%
Elvaston2.2257.95.9%11.5%23.7%1969$72630.6%97.5%7.3%
Denver2.2249.44.6%13.3%5.5%1938$61515.4%93.7%8.5%
Basco2.2450.34.4%11.9%8.0%1942$64615.9%95.6%8.2%
Fountain Green2.6550.412.0%9.9%12.8%1956$65619.7%88.5%3.0%

All figures 2020–24.

Cities with similar populations: Stover, MO · Clymer, PA · Shiloh, OH · Westwood, CA · Springfield, NE · Springville, CA · Sleepy Hollow, IL · Sibley, IA · St. Paul, NE · Teutopolis, IL

About these numbers

Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Carthage. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.

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