Columbia, SC vs North Charleston, SC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Columbia spends 54.0% more per capita than North Charleston ($6,979/person difference). North Charleston, SC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 80/100).
Fiscal Health Score
B
65/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency62
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
A
80/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Columbia
North Charleston
Total Spending
$2.7B
$1.5B
Spending / Capita
$19,896
$12,917
Total Revenue
$8.8B
$2.7B
Revenue / Capita
$64,353
$23,753
Total Debt
$190.0M
$0
Debt / Capita
$1,389
$0
Population
136,754
115,755
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Columbia$467
North Charleston$1,323
Highways & Roads
Columbia$454
North Charleston$867
Parks & Recreation
Columbia$1,265
North Charleston$987
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
ColumbiaNorth Charleston
| Sales Tax | $623 | $231 |
| Income Tax | $42 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,842 | $23,753 |
| Charges & Fees | $8,276 | $0 |
| Other | $6,537 | $632 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
ColumbiaNorth Charleston
| Fire Protection | $467 | $1,323 |
| Highways & Roads | $454 | $867 |
| Public Welfare | $433 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $1,042 | $194 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,265 | $987 |
| Housing | $3,604 | $3,880 |
| Sewerage | $141 | $274 |
| Utilities | $4,665 | $650 |
| Other | $7,824 | $4,742 |
B
Columbia, SC
Fiscal Health Score: 65/100
Good fiscal health
A
North Charleston, SC
Fiscal Health Score: 80/100
Excellent fiscal health