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Compare towns

Carthage vs Florence

53 miles apart. The biggest differences: household income (2× in Florence) and work from home (+18.9 pts in Carthage).

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Carthage, MSOne of the healthiest townsMississippi · 4,866 people
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Florence, MSKnown for its schoolsMississippi · 4,696 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $450 more a month in Florence

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Carthage$1,020/mo
Typical home $166K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.09% · or rent about $705/mo · Housing →
Florence$1,470/mo
Typical home $255K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.66% · or rent about $923/mo · Housing →

The difference: $450 a month, about $5,400 a year, between Florence and Carthage.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Florence places higher on 13 of 19 MS lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Mississippi ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
CarthageFlorence
Snow a year0″1″
January low34°F37°F
July high92°F92°F
Growing season (days)233d245d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)46th69th
Outdoors & history
CarthageFlorence
Trails1 mi1 mi
Conserved land0.9%0.9%
Settled1834—
National Register places3—
Archive photos46
Famous people born here134
Community
CarthageFlorence
Library hours a week54 hrs42 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

53 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Carthage ↔ Florence53 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

CarthageFlorence
People
Population 4,866Highest 4,696Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -3.4%Lowest +10.4%Highest
Median age 35.6±3.7Highest 8% below MS 35.4±5.4Lowest 8% below MS
Carthage and Florence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 27.2%±6.4Lowest MS: 23.3% 30.7%±9.4Highest MS: 23.3%
Florence and Carthage are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 20.7%±5.1Highest MS: 17.2% 10.7%±4Lowest MS: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 19.6%Lowest MS: 25.1% 21.8%Highest MS: 25.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.9%±2.1Lowest MS: 6.1% 5.9%±3.2Highest MS: 6.1%
Florence and Carthage are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $42,254±$15kLowest 25% below MS $86,308±$17kHighest 53% above MS
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $154,800±$22kLowest 9% below MS $230,800±$14kHighest 36% above MS
Rentmedian gross, monthly $705±$487Lowest 26% below MS $923±$592Highest 3% below MS
Florence and Carthage are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,695Highest 40% above MS $1,523Lowest 25% above MS
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 45.4%±8.1Lowest MS: 51.3% 58.9%±52.3Highest MS: 51.3%
Florence and Carthage are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 29.7%Highest MS: 18.9% 6.7%Lowest MS: 18.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 65.4%Lowest MS: 70% 69.7%Highest MS: 70%
Typical home builtmedian year 1979Lowest 7 yrs older than MS 1999Highest 13 yrs newer than MS
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 30 minLowest 16% above MS 32 minHighest 23% above MS
Work from home 23.1%±10.6Highest MS: 5.9% 4.2%±3.5Lowest MS: 5.9%
Work in townworking residents 18.7%Highest 5.1%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 27.8 miHighest 12.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.46Highest 1.44Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Jackson (7%)Jackson (25%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in FlorenceFew work in Carthage
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.9% 0.9%
Trailsmapped miles 0.5 miLowest 0.7 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 mi 0.1 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1 1
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 21.5Lowest 23.8Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #74 of 92 in MS#15 of 92 in MS
School district Leake County School DistrictRankin County School District
High school in town Leake Central High SchoolFlorence High School
Students per teacherat that high school 15.8Highest 13.4Lowest
Mississippi average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Carthage neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Carthage’s Town Square.

Florence neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Florence’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Carthage

Towns like Carthage

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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