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Cost of living, pay and housing

43.97° N · 75.62° W · GEOID 3679499

West Carthage

Jefferson County, New York · part of the Watertown, NY metro

Limited data population under 5,000

New YorkWest Carthage, NYWest CarthageWest Carthage

The short answer

West Carthage is home to 1,864 people. Median household income is $49,885 a year and median rent is $985 a month, 23.7% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $192,100, about 3.9x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$985
28% below the median place
Median household income
$49,885
38% below the median place
Median home value
$192,100
40% below the median place
Unemployment
5.9%
20% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about West Carthage

  • Households average 1.79 people, smaller than in 98% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 3rd-lowest of 338 New York places.
  • Renters occupy 58% of homes, more than in 96% of places its size.
  • After the median rent, and with prices for everything else adjusted to the US average, the median household has about $40,200 a year left, less than in 90% of places its size.
  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 6.9% a year while rent rose 2.7%, so pay gained on rent more than in 83% of places its size.
  • The population has fallen 3% since 2020, a steeper drop than in 85% of places its size.
01

Moving to West Carthage

Jefferson County loses about 14.5 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in8,373
Moved out9,701
Net−1,328

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within New York, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within New YorkOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$51K
Leavers$53K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Jefferson County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
20.7% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 7.8% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Jefferson County report $50,700 a year in income on average; those leaving, $53,200.
Income you would need
$39,400 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $985 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,436 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $192,100.
Getting to work
21 minutes each way on average; 7.7% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Goldsboro, NC matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
20.7%
260% above the median place
Moved from another state1
7.8%
291% above the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people8
-14.5
below the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureWest CarthageAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year120.7%260% above
Moved from another state17.8%291% above
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure-14.5below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8County figure$50,71428% below
Income of households moving out8County figure$53,22324% below
02

What it costs to live here

Homeownership is 41.7%, 37% below the median place.

West Carthage23.7%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$39,400
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
23.7%
16% above the median place
Home price to income
3.9x
1% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
24%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$40,300
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in West Carthage, $985 a month, and local prices for everything else (94.8 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like West Carthage, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Walterboro, SC20.5% vs 23.7%n/aCompare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in West Carthage.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to West Carthage? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Homeownership1
41.7%
37% below the median place
Property tax rate1
1.9%
105% above the median place
Median year built1
1961
1% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureWest CarthageAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$98528% below
Rent to income123.7%16% above
Property tax rate11.9%105% above
Home price to income13.9x1% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure87.713% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,45310% below
HUD area median income4County figure$86,60019% below
Property tax paid (median)1$3,58310% above
Median home value1$192,10040% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure4.0%25% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure34.2%34% below
Homeownership141.7%37% below
Renters paying 30%+141.1%19% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,43623% below
Vacant homes16.8%3% below
Median year built119611% below
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Median household income1
$49,885
38% below the median place
Mean commute1
21 min
14% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureWest CarthageAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$49,88538% below
Income per person1$46,28416% above
Unemployment1County figure5.9%20% above
Average annual pay6County figure$57,62513% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure3.7%0% above
Jobs6County figure40,56373% below
Poverty rate110.4%3% below
Mean commute121 min14% below
Works from home1County figure7.7%38% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Household size is 1.8, 28% below the median place.

Household size1
1.8
28% below the median place
Population change since 20207
-3.0%
below the median place (median 1.1%)
Homes with broadband1
87.1%
6% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

High school or higher87.5% −5%
Bachelor's or higher21.8% −32%
Median age36.2 −7%
All 9 people measures
MeasureWest CarthageAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,8646646th largest
Population change since 20207-3.0%below (median 1.1%)
Median age136.27% below
Bachelor's or higher121.8%32% below
High school or higher187.5%5% below
Household size11.828% below
Born abroad1County figure4.6%48% below
No health insurance1County figure5.5%14% below
Homes with broadband187.1%6% below
05

Life in West Carthage

151 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents21.5 2.1×
Playgrounds per 10k5.4 −43%
Grocery stores per 10k16.1 7.6×
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k10.7 −4%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars22.9 +10%
Shops36.7 +21%
Arts, recreation and fitness5.6 +37%
Doctors' offices and clinics13.4 −34%
Child care centers1.8 −22%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Students per teacher13
11.1
28% below the median place
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9
13.4
34% below the median place
Shops per 10k9
36.7
21% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureWest CarthageAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools13County figure39333% above
Public school students13County figure16,789243% above
Students per teacher13County figure11.128% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure22.910% above
Shops per 10k9County figure36.721% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure5.637% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure13.434% below
Child care centers per 10k9County figure1.822% below
Parks per 10k1021.5111% above
Playgrounds per 10k105.443% below
Grocery stores per 10k1016.1above (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k1010.74% below
Libraries per 10k100.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails100.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi100.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings11County figure151above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Violent crime per 100k is 0, below the median place (median 192).

Violent crime per 100k
0
below the median place (median 192)
Property crime per 100k
57
95% below the median place
Months reported
12 of 12
by the city police department to the FBI

Counts only offenses reported by the city police department. Sheriff, state and campus police are not included, and some departments do not report to the FBI at all, so compare with care.

Good air days16
94.6%
38% above the median place
January average low14
10°F
60% below the median place
Average temperature14
45°F
17% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureWest CarthageAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high14County figure79°F9% below
January average low14County figure10°F60% below
Average temperature14County figure45°F17% below
Annual precipitation14County figure42.4 in3% below
Natural hazard risk15County figure64.031% below
Hurricane risk15County figure53.225% below
Tornado risk15County figure27.966% below
Wildfire risk15County figure28.054% below
Heat wave risk15County figure33.663% below
Median air quality index16County figure3421% below
Good air days16County figure94.6%38% above
08

West Carthage in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 23% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 24% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$985/mo (2024)$1,240/mo$1,020 to $1,510/mo+3.9%
Median household income$49,885 (2024)$63,500$54,000 to $75,500+4.1%
Median home value$192,100 (2024)$274,000$199,000 to $378,000+6.1%
Population1,721 (2025)1,7101,640 to 1,780−0.2%

The median home would be worth 4.3 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.9 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like West Carthage

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Goldsboro, NC$971$48,540Compare
Ardmore, OK$1,006$53,900Compare
Phenix City, AL$967$50,053Compare
Gilmer, TX$986$44,316Compare
Gilmer, TXPhenix City, ALArdmore, OKGoldsboro, NCWest Carthage, NYWest CarthageGoldsboroArdmorePhenix CityGilmerWest CarthageGoldsboroArdmorePhenix CityGilmer

Common questions

Is West Carthage a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Households average 1.79 people, smaller than in 98% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 3rd-lowest of 338 New York places. Renters occupy 58% of homes, more than in 96% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 8 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is West Carthage expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 23.7% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $192,100.

What salary do you need to live in West Carthage?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $39,400 a year. Work it out from your current city.

Is West Carthage safe?

There were 0 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 192 in the typical place.

What places are similar to West Carthage?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Goldsboro, NC, Ardmore, OK, Phenix City, AL and Gilmer, TX.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  13. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  14. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  15. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  16. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares West Carthage with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for West Carthage itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/west-carthage-new-york

Citytistics. “West Carthage, New York.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/west-carthage-new-york/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.