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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Summerville, SC vs Charleston, SC

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

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

City A
Summerville, SC
Pop. 50,839
B
67/100
Budget Balance49
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50
City B
Charleston, SC
Pop. 149,960
C
50/100
Budget Balance16
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency39
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Summerville
Charleston
Total Spending
$505.6M
$3.6B
Spending / Capita
$9,946
$23,793
Total Revenue
$253.7M
$849.4M
Revenue / Capita
$4,990
$5,664
Total Debt
$0
$0
Debt / Capita
$0
$0
Population
50,839
149,960
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Summerville$152
Charleston$1,726
Highways & Roads
Summerville$527
Charleston$1,309
Parks & Recreation
Summerville$631
Charleston$3,903
Health
Summerville$0
Charleston$2,099

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

SummervilleCharleston
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)

SummervilleCharleston
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
B
Summerville, SC
Fiscal Health Score: 67/100
Good fiscal health
C
Charleston, SC
Fiscal Health Score: 50/100
Average fiscal health

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