North Charleston, SC vs Greenville, SC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Greenville, SC outspends North Charleston, SC by a wide margin per resident — $43,093 versus $12,917, a 234% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
North Charleston, SC holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 80/100 (grade A) against 46/100 (grade D) for Greenville, SC — a 34-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: North Charleston, SC leads with fire protection at $1,323 per resident, while Greenville, SC leads with police at $4,914.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in North Charleston, SC and 100% in Greenville, SC.
Summary
Greenville spends 70.0% more per capita than North Charleston ($30,176/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)
| Property Tax | $0 | $1,988 |
| Sales Tax | $231 | $643 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $1,116 |
| Intergovernmental | $23,753 | $17,967 |
| Other | $632 | $4,746 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $4,914 |
| Fire Protection | $1,323 | $2,341 |
| Highways & Roads | $867 | $842 |
| Public Welfare | $0 | $1,226 |
| Health | $0 | $3,014 |
| Hospitals | $194 | $159 |
| Parks & Recreation | $987 | $2,637 |
| Housing | $3,880 | $11,807 |
| Sewerage | $274 | $551 |
| Utilities | $650 | $3,041 |
| Other | $4,742 | $12,562 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.