Mount Pleasant, SC vs Columbia, SC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Columbia, SC outspends Mount Pleasant, SC by a wide margin per resident — $19,896 versus $12,111, a 64% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Mount Pleasant, SC edges Columbia, SC on the Fiscal Health Score by 5 points — 70/100 (grade B) to 65/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Mount Pleasant, SC carries the lighter load at $925 per resident versus $1,389 for Columbia, SC. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Mount Pleasant, SC at $963 per resident and in Columbia, SC at $1,265.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Mount Pleasant, SC at 23% of total revenue, whereas Columbia, SC relies most on charges and fees at 13%.
Summary
Columbia spends 39.1% more per capita than Mount Pleasant ($7,785/person difference). Mount Pleasant, SC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 70/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $437 | $623 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $42 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,212 | $6,842 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,912 | $8,276 |
| Other | $3,395 | $6,537 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $399 | $467 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $454 |
| Public Welfare | $623 | $433 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $1,042 |
| Parks & Recreation | $963 | $1,265 |
| Housing | $2,205 | $3,604 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $141 |
| Utilities | $3,710 | $4,665 |
| Other | $4,211 | $7,824 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.