North Charleston, SC vs Summerville, SC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
North Charleston, SC spends 30% more per resident than Summerville, SC: $12,917 against $9,946. 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 67/100 (grade B) for Summerville, SC — a 13-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 Summerville, SC leads with parks and recreation at $631.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in North Charleston, SC and 84% in Summerville, SC.
Summary
North Charleston spends 29.9% more per capita than Summerville ($2,971/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 | $92 |
| Intergovernmental | $23,753 | $4,202 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $2,363 |
| Other | $632 | $971 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $1,323 | $152 |
| Highways & Roads | $867 | $527 |
| Hospitals | $194 | $0 |
| Parks & Recreation | $987 | $631 |
| Housing | $3,880 | $2,315 |
| Sewerage | $274 | $153 |
| Utilities | $650 | $2,819 |
| Other | $4,742 | $3,350 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.