Columbia, SC vs Charleston, SC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
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
B
65/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency62
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
C
50/100
Budget Balance16
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency39
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Columbia
Charleston
Total Spending
$2.7B
$3.6B
Spending / Capita
$19,896
$23,793
Total Revenue
$8.8B
$849.4M
Revenue / Capita
$64,353
$5,664
Total Debt
$190.0M
$0
Debt / Capita
$1,389
$0
Population
136,754
149,960
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Columbia$467
Charleston$1,726
Highways & Roads
Columbia$454
Charleston$1,309
Parks & Recreation
Columbia$1,265
Charleston$3,903
Health
Columbia$0
Charleston$2,099
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
ColumbiaCharleston
| 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)
ColumbiaCharleston
| 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 |
B
Columbia, SC
Fiscal Health Score: 65/100
Good fiscal health
C
Charleston, SC
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health