Columbia, SC vs Charleston, SC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Charleston, SC spends 20% more per resident than Columbia, SC: $23,793 against $19,896. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Columbia, SC holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 65/100 (grade B) against 50/100 (grade C) for Charleston, SC — a 15-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Charleston, SC reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Columbia, SC carries $1,389 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Columbia, SC at $1,265 per resident and in Charleston, SC at $3,903.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Columbia, SC at 13% of total revenue, whereas Charleston, SC relies most on other revenue at 82%.
Summary
Charleston spends 16.4% more per capita than Columbia ($3,897/person difference). Columbia, SC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 65/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $623 | $1,723 |
| Income Tax | $42 | $2,502 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,842 | $646 |
| Charges & Fees | $8,276 | $0 |
| Other | $6,537 | $4,635 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $467 | $1,726 |
| Highways & Roads | $454 | $1,309 |
| Public Welfare | $433 | $902 |
| Health | $0 | $2,099 |
| Hospitals | $1,042 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,265 | $3,903 |
| Housing | $3,604 | $5,779 |
| Sewerage | $141 | $191 |
| Utilities | $4,665 | $2,955 |
| General Admin | $0 | $625 |
| Other | $7,824 | $4,305 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.