Summerville, SC vs North Charleston, 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: Summerville, SC leads with parks and recreation at $631 per resident, while North Charleston, SC leads with fire protection at $1,323.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 84% of total revenue in Summerville, SC and 100% in North Charleston, SC.
Summary
North Charleston spends 23.0% 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 | $92 | $231 |
| Intergovernmental | $4,202 | $23,753 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,363 | $0 |
| Other | $971 | $632 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $152 | $1,323 |
| Highways & Roads | $527 | $867 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $194 |
| Parks & Recreation | $631 | $987 |
| Housing | $2,315 | $3,880 |
| Sewerage | $153 | $274 |
| Utilities | $2,819 | $650 |
| Other | $3,350 | $4,742 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.