Updated April 2026 · U.S. Census Bureau, fiscal year 2023
How Does North Charleston, SC Spend Tax Money?
North Charleston, SC spends $12,917 per resident on city services, $1.5B in total. Per the U.S. Census Bureau Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, the largest per-capita line items are Fire Protection ($1,323), Parks & Recreation ($987), Highways & Roads ($867). CitySpend's Fiscal Health Score for North Charleston is A (80/100), a strong reading versus its 251 peer cities.
North Charleston, SC Budget Snapshot
| Total Spending | $1.5B |
| Per Capita Spending | $12,917 |
| Total Revenue | $2.7B |
| Total Debt | $0 |
| Debt Per Capita | $0 |
| Population | 115,755 |
| Fiscal Health Score | 80/100 (A) |
| Data Year | FY 2023 |
What Does the A Grade Mean?
North Charleston, SC earns an A on the CitySpend Fiscal Health Score (80/100), a top-decile reading. Reserves and budget balance are healthy, debt and pension burdens are well within peer norms, and the three-year trend is constructive.
Where the Money Goes
Of the $1.5B that North Charleston, SC spent in its most recent reported fiscal year, the largest single line item per resident is Fire Protection at $1,323. Parks & Recreation comes next at $987 per resident. Together those two functions account for the bulk of every-day taxpayer-facing services in the city budget. The remaining categories, parks, health, housing, debt service, and general administration, fill out the picture.
Top Spending Categories (Per Capita)
Where the Money Comes From
Where does the money come from? Property tax provides 0 percent of city revenue, sales tax 1 percent, intergovernmental transfers from federal and state sources 100 percent, and direct charges and user fees 0 percent. The remainder comes from utility revenue, income tax (where applicable), and miscellaneous sources.
Debt Burden in Context
Debt-wise, North Charleston sits close to the peer median for cities its size: $0 per resident versus a peer-group median of $0. That tracks with normal capital-program borrowing for streets, water, and public buildings.
How This Score Is Calculated
The CitySpend Fiscal Health Score combines six factors into one composite, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances: budget balance and reserves (25%), debt burden per capita versus peer median (20%), pension funded ratio from the Public Plans Database (20%), spending efficiency (15%), revenue diversity (10%), and three-year trend direction (10%). Best-practice weighting follows guidance from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). Read the full methodology.
North Charleston, SC spends $12,917 per resident on city services, $1.5B in total. Per the U.S. Census Bureau Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, the largest per-capita line items are Fire Protection ($1,323), Parks & Recreation ($987), Highways & Roads ($867). CitySpend's Fiscal Health Score for North Charleston is A (80/100), a strong reading versus its 251 peer cities.
This answer pulls from the Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, the authoritative federal source for U.S. municipal and county government finances. The headline number above is the direct answer; what follows is the additional context most readers need to use the answer for a real decision rather than just a fact lookup.
A practical caveat: the headline answer above reflects the most recent the Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances vintage; underlying data is often revised for months after first publication, and the right reference for any specific decision is whichever vintage is current at the time of the decision. The as-of date is stamped on every page.