County Commons · South Carolina
South Carolina: state government and every county
The state's own money — what it collects and what it spends on — its official offices, how to vote, and a page for each of its 46 counties. Every number from official public records, with sources.
5,478,831 people (2024 Census estimate, +6.8% since 2020) · 46 counties
The state's money — South Carolina state government, fiscal 2023
The state government took in $46.1 billion and spent $44.1 billion · $8,049 per resident. It owed $15 billion in debt at year's end.
Of every $100 it spends
Education$37.00 · $15.7 billion
Public welfare$25.42 · $10.8 billion
Hospitals$9.61 · $4.1 billion
Other and unallocable$9.14 · $3.9 billion
Highways$5.68 · $2.4 billion
Governmental administration$5.43 · $2.3 billion
Health$2.84 · $1.2 billion
Correction$1.80 · $761.6 million
Natural resources$0.92 · $388.4 million
Police protection$0.76 · $323 million
Parks and recreation$0.76 · $321.5 million
Interest on general debt$0.65 · $273.2 million
✓ These 12 functions add to the state's general expenditure, $42.3 billion, exactly. “Public welfare” is mostly Medicaid. Money the state passes to counties, cities and school districts is counted in the function it pays for.
Where its money comes from
Taxes$15.6 billion
Individual income tax$5.8 billion
General sales tax$5.1 billion
Selective sales taxes (fuel, tobacco, alcohol and others)$2.3 billion
Corporate income tax$1.4 billion
License taxes (vehicles, businesses, hunting and others)$757.2 million
Other taxes (severance, transfer and others)$196.7 million
Property tax (state share)$96.8 million
From other governments (mostly federal aid)$17.8 billion
Charges and fees (tuition, tolls, hospital charges)$7.9 billion
Other general revenue (interest, rents, settlements)$2.9 billion
Pension and insurance trust earnings and contributions$4.8 billion
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of State Government Finances (State Totals), last revised Sept. 16, 2025. These are the state government's own books — counties, cities and school districts are separate.