Summerville, SC vs Greenville, SC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Greenville, SC outspends Summerville, SC by a wide margin per resident — $43,093 versus $9,946, a 333% 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 46/100 (grade D) for Greenville, SC — a 21-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: Summerville, SC leads with parks and recreation at $631 per resident, while Greenville, SC leads with police at $4,914.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 84% of total revenue in Summerville, SC and 100% in Greenville, SC.
Summary
Greenville spends 76.9% more per capita than Summerville ($33,147/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)
| Property Tax | $0 | $1,988 |
| Sales Tax | $92 | $643 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $1,116 |
| Intergovernmental | $4,202 | $17,967 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,363 | $0 |
| Other | $971 | $4,746 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $4,914 |
| Fire Protection | $152 | $2,341 |
| Highways & Roads | $527 | $842 |
| Public Welfare | $0 | $1,226 |
| Health | $0 | $3,014 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $159 |
| Parks & Recreation | $631 | $2,637 |
| Housing | $2,315 | $11,807 |
| Sewerage | $153 | $551 |
| Utilities | $2,819 | $3,041 |
| Other | $3,350 | $12,562 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.