Taxable Retail Sales Decline 12.8 Percent During First Quarter 2009
Olympia, Wash., July 15, 2009 — Taxable retail sales declined 12.8 percent to $23.2 billion during the first quarter of 2009 compared to the first quarter of 2008, the Department of Revenue reported today.
Retail trade, a component of all taxable retail sales that includes retailers but excludes sales tax from other industries such as services and construction, dropped 11.9 percent to $10.0 billion.
Among the largest industries, retail sales from construction dropped 20.4 percent to $4.3 billion; motor vehicle and parts dropped 23.3 percent to $2.1 billion; accommodations and food services dropped 5.1 percent to $2.4 billion; general merchandise stores declined 0.9 percent to $1.5 billion, the retail component of wholesale trade declined 18.3 percent to $1.8 billion, miscellaneous retailers dropped 12.2 percent to $1.3 billion, information services dropped 0.7 percent to $1.2 billion, and building materials, garden equipment and supplies dropped 21.2 percent to $851 million.
Results for the most populous counties:
|
|
Taxable retail sales |
% change |
Retail trade |
% change |
|
King |
$9.2 billion |
-15.3% |
$3.5 billion |
-14.4% |
|
Pierce |
$2.5 billion |
-11.6% |
$1.2 billion |
-11.9% |
|
Snohomish |
$2.2 billion |
-14.6% |
$1.1 billion |
-12.6% |
|
Spokane |
$1.5 billion |
-7.7% |
$755 million |
-7.6% |
|
Clark |
$921 million |
-15.6% |
$403 million |
-12.0% |
Results for cities with the most sales:
|
|
Taxable retail sales |
% change |
Retail trade |
% change |
|
Seattle |
$3.6 billion |
-11.2% |
$1.1 billion |
-12.0% |
|
Bellevue |
$1.2 billion |
-13.5% |
$498 million |
-14.2% |
|
Tacoma |
$935 million |
-11.3% |
$428 million |
-12.9% |
|
Spokane |
$840 million |
-3.4% |
$405 million |
-2.0% |
|
Vancouver |
$548 million |
-13.7% |
$228 million |
-14.0% |
Taxable retail sales and retail trade by county and city, and a breakdown of sales statewide by industries are available here.
Results for all counties and selected cities, including breakdowns of sales by industry sector, are available here.