Summerville, SC vs Charleston, SC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Charleston, SC outspends Summerville, SC by a wide margin per resident — $23,793 versus $9,946, a 139% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Summerville, SC holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 67/100 (grade B) against 50/100 (grade C) for Charleston, SC — a 17-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. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Summerville, SC at $631 per resident and in Charleston, SC at $3,903.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Summerville, SC at 84% of total revenue, whereas Charleston, SC relies most on other revenue at 82%.
Summary
Charleston spends 58.2% more per capita than Summerville ($13,848/person difference). Summerville, SC has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 67/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $92 | $1,723 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $2,502 |
| Intergovernmental | $4,202 | $646 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,363 | $0 |
| Other | $971 | $4,635 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $152 | $1,726 |
| Highways & Roads | $527 | $1,309 |
| Public Welfare | $0 | $902 |
| Health | $0 | $2,099 |
| Parks & Recreation | $631 | $3,903 |
| Housing | $2,315 | $5,779 |
| Sewerage | $153 | $191 |
| Utilities | $2,819 | $2,955 |
| General Admin | $0 | $625 |
| Other | $3,350 | $4,305 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.