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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Columbia, SC vs Summerville, SC

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Columbia spends 100.0% more per capita than Summerville ($9,950/person difference). Summerville, SC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 67/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Columbia, SC
Pop. 136,754
B
65/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency62
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Summerville, SC
Pop. 50,839
B
67/100
Budget Balance49
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Columbia
Summerville
Total Spending
$2.7B
$505.6M
Spending / Capita
$19,896
$9,946
Total Revenue
$8.8B
$253.7M
Revenue / Capita
$64,353
$4,990
Total Debt
$190.0M
$0
Debt / Capita
$1,389
$0
Population
136,754
50,839
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Columbia$467
Summerville$152
Highways & Roads
Columbia$454
Summerville$527
Parks & Recreation
Columbia$1,265
Summerville$631

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbiaSummerville
Sales Tax
$623
$92
Income Tax
$42
$0
Intergovernmental
$6,842
$4,202
Charges & Fees
$8,276
$2,363
Other
$6,537
$971

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ColumbiaSummerville
Fire Protection
$467
$152
Highways & Roads
$454
$527
Public Welfare
$433
$0
Hospitals
$1,042
$0
Parks & Recreation
$1,265
$631
Housing
$3,604
$2,315
Sewerage
$141
$153
Utilities
$4,665
$2,819
Other
$7,824
$3,350
B
Columbia, SC
Fiscal Health Score: 65/100
Good fiscal health
B
Summerville, SC
Fiscal Health Score: 67/100
Good fiscal health

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