Columbia, SC vs Greenville, SC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Greenville, SC outspends Columbia, SC by a wide margin per resident — $43,093 versus $19,896, a 117% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Columbia, SC holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 65/100 (grade B) against 46/100 (grade D) for Greenville, SC — a 19-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Greenville, SC reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Columbia, SC carries $1,389 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Columbia, SC leads with parks and recreation at $1,265 per resident, while Greenville, SC leads with police at $4,914.
They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Columbia, SC at 13% of total revenue, whereas Greenville, SC relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Greenville spends 53.8% more per capita than Columbia ($23,197/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)
| Property Tax | $0 | $1,988 |
| Sales Tax | $623 | $643 |
| Income Tax | $42 | $1,116 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,842 | $17,967 |
| Charges & Fees | $8,276 | $0 |
| Other | $6,537 | $4,746 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $4,914 |
| Fire Protection | $467 | $2,341 |
| Highways & Roads | $454 | $842 |
| Public Welfare | $433 | $1,226 |
| Health | $0 | $3,014 |
| Hospitals | $1,042 | $159 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,265 | $2,637 |
| Housing | $3,604 | $11,807 |
| Sewerage | $141 | $551 |
| Utilities | $4,665 | $3,041 |
| Other | $7,824 | $12,562 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.