Defender Danny Livesey put the Cumbrians ahead after just 11 minutes and Chris Lumsdon added a 25th minute penalty to give the hosts a comfortable half-time cushion.
York, safe from a second successive relegation after Forest Green's home defeat to Hereford, worked hard but rarely looked like taking anything from the game.
Keeper Chris Porter brilliantly tipped away a fierce Adam Murray shot in the 11th minute but Carlisle cashed in from the resulting corner. Porter tipped a Kevin Gray header against the bar and Livesey pounced to force home the rebound.
Then Lumsdon sent the keeper the wrong way from the spot after Paul Groves had handled in the box.
It took a reflex stop by Carlisle keeper Matt Glennon to prevent Ben Jackson reducing the deficit ten minutes before the break but Carlisle put the result beyond doubt with three goals in a 17-minute second-half spell.
Adam Murray cashed in on an awful mix-up between Porter and Kyle Armstrong to steer in Carlisle's third after 62 minutes.
And after Groves had seen a close-range header come back off Carlisle's crossbar, Derek Holmes lashed in number four after Porter had blocked a Magno Vieira shot on the edge of the area.
Unlucky Dave Merris looped the ball past his own keeper in the 79th minute and there was still time for midfielder Lumsdon to score the goal of the game, giving Porter no chance with a superb 30-yard drive with four minutes left.