Charleston, SC vs Rock Hill, SC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Charleston, SC spends 33% more per resident than Rock Hill, SC: $23,793 against $17,824. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Rock Hill, SC holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 85/100 (grade A) against 50/100 (grade C) for Charleston, SC — a 35-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Charleston, SC at $3,903 per resident and in Rock Hill, SC at $3,181.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Charleston, SC at 82% of total revenue, whereas Rock Hill, SC relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 16%.
Summary
Charleston spends 33.5% more per capita than Rock Hill ($5,969/person difference). Rock Hill, SC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 85/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $1,723 | $415 |
| Income Tax | $2,502 | $1,207 |
| Intergovernmental | $646 | $8,909 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $3,386 |
| Other | $4,635 | $4,871 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,726 | $470 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,309 | $227 |
| Public Welfare | $902 | $387 |
| Health | $2,099 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $666 |
| Parks & Recreation | $3,903 | $3,181 |
| Housing | $5,779 | $2,961 |
| Sewerage | $191 | $37 |
| Utilities | $2,955 | $3,368 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $328 |
| General Admin | $625 | $0 |
| Other | $4,305 | $6,200 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.