State's retail sales up 8.9 percent in first quarter
OLYMPIA – July 28, 2016 – Washington state’s taxable retail sales grew 8.9 percent in the first three months of 2016, topping $32 billion. Retail trade, which is a subset of all taxable retail sales, rose 5.1 percent to total $13.9 billion.
These figures are part of a quarterly report released today by the Washington State Department of Revenue. The Quarterly Business Review compares the same quarter year-over-year to equalize any seasonal effects that would influence consumer and business spending decisions.
Statewide snapshot of taxable retail sales activity
- Sales reported by new and used auto dealers increased 9.7 percent, reaching $3 billion.
- Sales of apparel and accessories dropped 1 percent, marking $851.7 million for the quarter.
- Drug and health stores’ sales rose 18.4 percent, reaching $586.9 million.
- Taxable e-commerce and mail order sales increased 16.7 percent to $606.5 million.*
Highest taxable retail sales - top 10 counties
| Taxable retail sales | Percent change | Retail trade | Percent change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King | $13.8 billion | 10.7 | $4.75 billion | 3.8 |
| Pierce | $3.36 billion | 8.7 | $1.70 billion | 5.8 |
| Snohomish | $3.03 billion | 9.4 | $1.58 billion | 6.2 |
| Spokane | $2.00 billion | 7.5 | $999 million | 5.9 |
| Clark | $1.44 billion | 9.7 | $639 million | 8.1 |
| Thurston | $1.10 billion | 8.6 | $537 million | 3.9 |
| Kitsap | $914 million | 9.7 | $482 million | 6.7 |
| Whatcom | $839 million | 5.6 | $367 million | -2.7 |
| Yakima | $850 million | 2.5 | $406 million | 6.3 |
| Skagit | $593 million | 6.9 | $321 million | 6.1 |
Highest taxable retail sales - top 10 cities
| Taxable retail sales | Percent change | Retail trade | Percent change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $5.48 billion | 9.4 | $1.54 billion | 5.0 |
| Bellevue | $1.62 billion | 9.7 | $656 million | 4.9 |
| Tacoma | $1.14 billion | 8.2 | $565 million | 4.1 |
| Spokane | $1.07 billion | 3.9 | $492 million | 1.7 |
| Vancouver | $826 million | 7.8 | $372 million | 7.1 |
| Lynnwood | $569 million | 14.4 | $362 million | 9.7 |
| Puyallup | $519 million | 8.4 | $351 million | 8.1 |
| Renton | $657 million | 15.1 | $330 million | 5.4 |
| Everett | $656 million | 7.7 | $322 million | 6.5 |
| Spokane Valley | $491 million | 11.6 | $305 million | 9.9 |
Accessing more results by city or county
Check Revenue’s Statistics and Reports page for additional detail about taxable retail sales by city, county and industry: Quarterly business review 2016.
Understanding how businesses are classified
Revenue uses business tax return data to create this quarterly report. Businesses are categorized under the U.S. Census Bureau’s classification system based on their primary taxable activity. The North American Industry Classification System – or NAICS – is the same method federal statistical agencies use for the purpose of analyzing economic data.
*The taxable retail sales reported in the e-commerce and mail order category do not necessarily include online sales made by businesses with a bricks-and-mortar presence. Businesses categorized by this NAICS code identify their primary activity as online or mail order sales.
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