Columbia, SC vs North Charleston, SC

Columbia, SC spends 54% more per resident than North Charleston, SC: $19,896 against $12,917. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.

North Charleston, SC holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 80/100 (grade A) against 65/100 (grade B) for Columbia, SC — a 15-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

North Charleston, 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 North Charleston, SC leads with fire protection at $1,323.

They also fund themselves differently: charges and fees is the largest single revenue source in Columbia, SC at 13% of total revenue, whereas North Charleston, SC relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.