North Charleston, SC vs Columbia, SC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Columbia spends 35.1% 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
A
80/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
B
65/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency62
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
North Charleston
Columbia
Total Spending
$1.5B
$2.7B
Spending / Capita
$12,917
$19,896
Total Revenue
$2.7B
$8.8B
Revenue / Capita
$23,753
$64,353
Total Debt
$0
$190.0M
Debt / Capita
$0
$1,389
Population
115,755
136,754
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
North Charleston$1,323
Columbia$467
Highways & Roads
North Charleston$867
Columbia$454
Parks & Recreation
North Charleston$987
Columbia$1,265
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
North CharlestonColumbia
| Sales Tax | $231 | $623 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $42 |
| Intergovernmental | $23,753 | $6,842 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $8,276 |
| Other | $632 | $6,537 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
North CharlestonColumbia
| Fire Protection | $1,323 | $467 |
| Highways & Roads | $867 | $454 |
| Public Welfare | $0 | $433 |
| Hospitals | $194 | $1,042 |
| Parks & Recreation | $987 | $1,265 |
| Housing | $3,880 | $3,604 |
| Sewerage | $274 | $141 |
| Utilities | $650 | $4,665 |
| Other | $4,742 | $7,824 |
A
North Charleston, SC
Fiscal Health Score: 80/100
Excellent fiscal health
B
Columbia, SC
Fiscal Health Score: 65/100
Good fiscal health