Charleston, SC vs Columbia, SC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Charleston spends 19.6% more per capita than Columbia ($3,897/person difference). Columbia, SC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 65/100).
Fiscal Health Score
C
50/100
Budget Balance16
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency39
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
B
65/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency62
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Charleston
Columbia
Total Spending
$3.6B
$2.7B
Spending / Capita
$23,793
$19,896
Total Revenue
$849.4M
$8.8B
Revenue / Capita
$5,664
$64,353
Total Debt
$0
$190.0M
Debt / Capita
$0
$1,389
Population
149,960
136,754
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Charleston$1,726
Columbia$467
Highways & Roads
Charleston$1,309
Columbia$454
Parks & Recreation
Charleston$3,903
Columbia$1,265
Health
Charleston$2,099
Columbia$0
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
CharlestonColumbia
| Sales Tax | $1,723 | $623 |
| Income Tax | $2,502 | $42 |
| Intergovernmental | $646 | $6,842 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $8,276 |
| Other | $4,635 | $6,537 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
CharlestonColumbia
| Fire Protection | $1,726 | $467 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,309 | $454 |
| Public Welfare | $902 | $433 |
| Health | $2,099 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $1,042 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,903 | $1,265 |
| Housing | $5,779 | $3,604 |
| Sewerage | $191 | $141 |
| Utilities | $2,955 | $4,665 |
| General Admin | $625 | $0 |
| Other | $4,305 | $7,824 |
C
Charleston, SC
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health
B
Columbia, SC
Fiscal Health Score: 65/100
Good fiscal health