OLYMPIA, Wash. – Dec. 7, 2021 – The second quarter of 2021 saw a sizable increase in taxable retail sales across the state over second quarter 2020, reaching $53.7 billion, thanks to strong sales in new and used automobiles and increasing construction activity.
Retail trade, a subset of all taxable retail sales in the state, also increased 27% for a total of $24.3 billion. Retail trade includes sales of items such as clothing, furniture and automobiles, but excludes other industries, such as services and construction.
Taxable retail sales are transactions subject to the retail sales tax, including sales by retailers, the construction industry, manufacturing and other sectors.
These figures are part of a quarterly report released today by the Washington State Department of Revenue. The taxable retail sales figures compare the same quarter year-to-year to equalize any seasonal effects that would influence consumer and business spending.
Here are some sectors that saw increases in taxable retail sales during the second quarter 2021 compared to the same period (April-June) in 2020:
- Construction increased 38% to $10.9 billion.
- Taxable retail sales reported by new and used auto dealers rose 49.7% to $4.4 billion.
- Building materials, garden equipment and supplies increased 17% to $3.1 billion.
- Taxable retail sales in general merchandise stores grew by 14.5% to $3.3 billion.
- Apparel and Accessories sales increased by 122.5% to $1.1 billion.
The majority of sectors saw healthy second quarter taxable retail sales increases from the previous year’s second quarter.
See second quarter 2021 taxable retail sales and retail trade sales by industry.
Find out more information about taxable retail sales in:
Some highlights of 10 counties and cities in the state:
County |
Taxable
|
Percent change |
Retail trade |
Percent change |
---|---|---|---|---|
King |
$19.6 billion |
35.7 |
$7.4 billion |
28.1 |
Pierce |
$ 6.0 billion |
33.2 |
$3.1 billion |
29.5 |
Snohomish |
$ 5.1 billion |
34.0 |
$2.7 billion |
32.2 |
Spokane |
$ 3.6 billion |
30.9 |
$1.6 billion |
24.4 |
Clark |
$ 2.8 billion |
35.7 |
$1.9 billion |
27.7 |
Thurston |
$ 1.9 billion |
27.4 |
$1.0 billion |
25.0 |
Kitsap |
$ 1.6 billion |
28.2 |
$844 million |
24.1 |
Benton |
$ 1.5 billion |
38.5 |
$668 million |
30.2 |
Yakima |
$ 1.3 billion |
25.2 |
$749 million |
23.8 |
Whatcom |
$ 1.4 billion |
37.4 |
$657 million |
26.6 |
City |
Taxable
|
Percent change |
Retail trade |
Percent change |
---|---|---|---|---|
Seattle |
$7.5 billion |
35.8 |
$2.3 billion |
22.6 |
Bellevue |
$2.3 billion |
55.3 |
$970 million |
60.5 |
Tacoma |
$1.7 billion |
33.2 |
$870 million |
33.0 |
Spokane City |
$1.7 billion |
33.0 |
$821 million |
24.8 |
Vancouver |
$1.5 billion |
40.9 |
$703 million |
37.2 |
Everett |
$910 million |
35.4 |
$440 million |
30.7 |
Renton |
$918 million |
42.0 |
$496 million |
43.0 |
Puyallup |
$800 million |
37.3 |
$536 million |
36.2 |
Kennewick |
$712 million |
38.1 |
$425 million |
39.3 |
Pasco |
$515 million |
21.8 |
$297 million |
20.9 |
Compare taxable retail sales numbers for first quarter 2021 and previous years by checking out the Retail sales for cities and counties page.
Check Revenue’s Statistics and Reports page for additional detail about taxable retail sales.
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.
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