Jobs, pay and daily life in Carthage, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Carthage is a city in Missouri with 15,574 residents. The median household earns $51,328 a year and the median rent is $975 a month, which is 22.8% of the median household income. It is part of the Joplin, MO-KS metropolitan area, where BLS counts 87,190 jobs.
How Carthage compares. Among the 80 largest places in Missouri, Carthage is #58 by population, #8 for long commutes (#1 = fewest), #68 for household income (#1 = highest), #67 for remote work (#1 = most). Its county, Jasper County, is #24 of 115 counties for average pay ($50,009).
Carthage has 15,574 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.3% of the population of Missouri. It covers 12 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 1,287 people per square mile. The median age is 32.2, 17% younger than the state median (32.2 against 39.0).
The median gross rent is $975 a month (rent plus utilities), 6% below the state median ($975 against $1,033). Over a year that is 22.8% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $146,800, which is 2.9 times the median household income ($51,328); a ratio under 4 usually means ownership is within reach for many households. 53.0% of households own their home, 22% below the state average (53.0% against 68.1%). A low ownership share points to a rental-heavy market with more apartments and shorter stays.
The Joplin, MO-KS metropolitan area has 87,190 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $44,980 a year, 12% below the national median ($44,980 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are transportation and material moving (10,990 jobs, median $44,290); production (10,190 jobs, median $45,910); office and administrative support (8,940 jobs, median $40,930). The area is most specialised in production (2.1 times) and transportation and material moving (1.4 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($78,700) and healthcare practitioners and technical ($71,870). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Jasper County was 3.2%. 59.4% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Jasper County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 78.8% drive alone, 0.2% use public transit, 1.8% walk, 6.5% work from home. 4.0% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 66% below the state average (4.0% against 11.5%).
22.1% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 32% below the state share (22.1% against 32.4%). 12.6% of residents were born outside the United States, 180% above the state share (12.6% against 4.5%). The poverty rate is 27.2%, 116% above the state rate (27.2% against 12.6%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 80°F (26.9°C), and the coolest is Jan at 33°F (0.3°C). About 1,174 mm (46 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; May is the wettest month (170 mm) and Jan the driest (56 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Webb City (8 miles, rent 3% higher); Joplin (11 miles, similar rent); Neosho (21 miles, rent 24% lower); Pittsburg (27 miles, rent 12% lower). Rent differences are against Carthage; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Missouri (988) →State guide: MissouriCountry guideJasper CountyMissouri rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 988 federal postings open in Missouri (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
Open federal jobs in Missouri →
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 3,470 | 3.00 | $47,430 | $39,350 | $72,000 | -19% |
| Registered Nurses | 2,670 | 1.41 | $74,930 | $62,450 | $94,110 | -23% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 2,620 | 1.65 | $35,460 | $29,100 | $50,200 | -5% |
| Retail Salespersons | 2,420 | 1.11 | $30,740 | $28,600 | $43,400 | -13% |
| Cashiers | 2,400 | 1.38 | $29,050 | $28,600 | $34,960 | -12% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 2,050 | 0.85 | $34,800 | $28,660 | $45,270 | -3% |
| Cooks, Fast Food | 2,030 | 5.65 | $28,600 | $28,600 | $33,140 | -7% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 1,720 | 1.04 | $39,400 | $30,010 | $54,200 | -2% |
| Office Clerks, General | 1,460 | 1.06 | $38,170 | $28,600 | $57,510 | -15% |
| Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders | 1,280 | 6.03 | $47,040 | $40,300 | $59,960 | +9% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 1,220 | 0.96 | $28,600 | $28,600 | $58,800 | -19% |
| Nursing Assistants | 1,180 | 1.46 | $34,600 | $31,080 | $40,550 | -18% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 1,160 | 0.94 | $34,620 | $28,600 | $47,210 | -6% |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 1,150 | 1.46 | $40,990 | $31,110 | $64,850 | -8% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 1,130 | 0.52 | $28,730 | $27,270 | $33,920 | -8% |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | 1,100 | 1.41 | $48,770 | $40,050 | $68,690 | -24% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 1,080 | 0.74 | $41,850 | $29,690 | $62,070 | -7% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 1,020 | 1.19 | $48,740 | $33,720 | $77,360 | -2% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 990 | 1.04 | $38,540 | $29,420 | $55,850 | -19% |
| Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary | 800 | 1.00 | $35,050 | $28,600 | $45,380 | -5% |
These figures are for the whole Joplin, MO-KS metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $44,980 (US $50,980); unemployment 3.3% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 24.1% |
| Manufacturing | 20.2% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 11.5% |
| Retail trade | 11.4% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 6.3% |
| Construction | 5.8% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 5.4% |
| Wholesale trade | 5.2% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 3.6% |
| Other services | 3.5% |
| Public administration | 1.6% |
| Information | 0.8% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.6% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Carthage lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jasper County | 124,357 | $7,433 million | $59,767 | 59,244 | 3,502 | $50,009 | +1.1% | 3.2% | 62,289 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 10,789 | 20.5% | $60,713 | 2.22 |
| Health care and social assistance | 8,159 | 15.5% | $51,575 | 0.96 |
| Retail trade | 7,650 | 14.5% | $33,700 | 1.29 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 5,827 | 11.1% | $53,816 | 2.32 |
| Accommodation and food services | 5,283 | 10.0% | $22,105 | 0.98 |
| Wholesale trade | 2,538 | 4.8% | $62,212 | 1.09 |
| Construction | 2,394 | 4.5% | $69,900 | 0.77 |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,959 | 3.7% | $39,310 | 0.56 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 1,679 | 3.2% | $38,914 | 0.94 |
| Professional and technical services | 1,542 | 2.9% | $69,140 | 0.37 |
| Finance and insurance | 1,090 | 2.1% | $67,606 | 0.45 |
| Management of companies | 1,064 | 2.0% | $119,632 | 1.07 |
| Real estate and rental | 555 | 1.1% | $44,618 | 0.60 |
| Educational services | 496 | 0.9% | $52,372 | 0.40 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 491 | 0.9% | $17,174 | 0.49 |
| Information | 438 | 0.8% | $56,796 | 0.39 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 352 | 0.7% | $46,523 | 0.73 |
| Utilities | 220 | 0.4% | $81,402 | 0.98 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 100 | 0.2% | $64,950 | 0.45 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 78.8% |
| Public transit | 0.2% |
| Walk | 1.8% |
| Work from home | 6.5% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 4.0% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $51,328 |
| Income per person | $25,235 |
| Median gross rent per month | $975 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 22.8% |
| Median home value | $146,800 |
| Homeowners | 53.0% |
| Poverty rate | 27.2% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 85.7 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $44,980 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set; graduated states show 0 until you enter your own estimate. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Graduated, top rate 4.70%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 32.2 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 74.5% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 22.1% |
| Born abroad | 12.6% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 59.4% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.3 | 33 | 56 |
| Feb | 2.4 | 36 | 58 |
| Mar | 8.4 | 47 | 98 |
| Apr | 13.9 | 57 | 128 |
| May | 18.9 | 66 | 170 |
| Jun | 24.0 | 75 | 126 |
| Jul | 26.9 | 80 | 98 |
| Aug | 26.4 | 80 | 103 |
| Sep | 21.7 | 71 | 97 |
| Oct | 14.4 | 58 | 105 |
| Nov | 8.0 | 46 | 72 |
| Dec | 2.2 | 36 | 63 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Webb City | MO | 8 mi | 13,221 | $65,469 | $1,008 |
| Joplin | MO | 11 mi | 52,593 | $52,097 | $962 |
| Neosho | MO | 21 mi | 13,224 | $57,891 | $745 |
| Pittsburg | KS | 27 mi | 20,637 | $43,419 | $854 |
| Miami | OK | 35 mi | 12,926 | $46,410 | $835 |
| Bella Vista | AR | 47 mi | 31,697 | $88,055 | $1,395 |
| Pea Ridge | AR | 49 mi | 8,108 | $95,521 | $1,818 |
| Republic | MO | 50 mi | 19,829 | $65,729 | $1,123 |
| Fort Scott | KS | 51 mi | 7,555 | $52,159 | $755 |
| Parsons | KS | 53 mi | 9,425 | $52,428 | $774 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
15,574 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$975 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 22.8% of the median household income.
$51,328 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
3.2% (BLS county, Jasper County (latest month 2026M09)).
Missouri. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.