When Carlson was 13, her family (consisting of her parents, herself, and three siblings) moved to Amman, Jordan for one year, where her parents had been hired to teach at the American Community School. After returning to the United States, Carlson attended Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. While in college, Carlson was active in the school’s theatre department, appearing in Fifth of July, Noises Off, A Lie of the Mind, and School for Scandal. Carlson graduated cum laude.
Carlson is represented by Darris Hatch on behalf of the The Paradigm Agency.
Amy Carlson currently resides in Chinatown in Manhattan with her daughter, born in 2006, and her daughter's father, Syd Butler, bass player of Les Savy Fav. Together with Butler she also runs the independant label French Kiss Records.
In 2008, Carlson's first starring role in a feature film, Sight Unseen, will be completed, with no further details on a release date.