Third quarter 2014 taxable sales increase 7.3 percent
OLYMPIA – Feb. 13, 2015 – The state’s taxable retail sales increased to $33.25 billion for the third quarter of 2014 (July through September), up by 7.3 percent over the same period in 2013. Retail trade, a subset of total taxable retail sales, rose 5.5 percent to $14.58 billion.
The results come from the Washington State Department of Revenue’s quarterly report of taxable retail sales by industry. The report compares the third quarter of 2014 to 2013, which equalizes any seasonal effects of consumer purchasing habits.
This is the first quarter that sales of marijuana authorized by Initiative 502 are included in taxable retail sales. For more information on recreational marijuana retail sales and business and occupation tax collections, visit our website.
Taxable sales were up in many sectors:
- E-commerce and mail order – 19.67 percent
- Lawn and garden supplies – 16.49 percent
- RV, boat and motorcycle dealers – 14.61 percent
- Construction of buildings – 9.95 percent
Some sectors showed slight declines, including in agriculture, forestry and fishing, which dropped 14 percent from the third quarter of 2013.
Third quarter 2014 results for the most populous counties:
| Taxable retail sales | Percent change | Retail trade | Percent change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King | $13.09 billion | 7.9 | $5.02 billion | 5.7 |
| Pierce | $3.33 billion | 4.5 | $1.68 billion | 3.5 |
| Snohomish | $3.06 billion | 4.2 | $1.66 billion | 6.7 |
| Spokane | $2.16 billion | 9.3 | $1.04 billion | 5.5 |
| Clark | $1.40 billion | 9.5 | $633 million | 9.7 |
Third quarter 2014 results for cities with the most sales:
| Taxable retail sales | Percent change | Retail trade | Percent change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $5.31 billion | 10.2 | $1.61 billion | 5.9 |
| Bellevue | $1.53 billion | 9.8 | $702 million | 4.6 |
| Tacoma | $1.11 billion | 0.6 | $556 million | -0.5 |
| Spokane | $1.14 billion | 7.3 | $514 million | 4.4 |
| Vancouver | $789 million | 9.7 | $366 million | 9.7 |
For more detailed reports on taxable retail sales and retail trade for the third quarter, visit Revenue’s Local retail sales 2014 page.
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