North Charleston, SC vs Columbia, SC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
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: North Charleston, SC leads with fire protection at $1,323 per resident, while Columbia, SC leads with parks and recreation at $1,265.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in North Charleston, SC at 100% of total revenue, whereas Columbia, SC relies most on charges and fees at 13%.
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
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| 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)
| 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 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.