Retail sales increase slightly in first-quarter 2024

OLYMPIA, Wash.- Aug. 22, 2024 -- First-quarter 2024 taxable retail sales saw a small increase of 0.3% across the state over the first quarter of 2023, reaching $52.9 billion.

Retail trade, a subset of all taxable retail sales in the state, dipped slightly by -0.8% for a total of $21.7 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 first-quarter 2024 compared to the same period (January-March) in 2023:

• Warehouse Clubs, Supercenters, and Other General Merchandisegrew by 2.4% to $2.8 billion.
  
• General Merchandise Storesincreased 2.8% to $3.0 billion.
  
• Grocery and Convenience Storesrose 6.5% to $1.2 billion.
  
• Apparel and Accessoriessales increased by 3.1% to $1.2 billion.

Industries that saw decreases in sales during the first quarter 2024 include:

• Constructiondecreased -0.9% to $10.9 billion.

• Sales of new and used auto dealers fell -4.3% to $4.0 billion.

• Building materials, garden equipment and supplies dipped -6.5% to $1.9 billion.
  
• Furniture, Home Furnishings, Electronics, and Appliancesaw sales decrease -5.4% to $2.1 billion.

See first-quarter 2024 taxable retail sales and retail trade sales by industry.

Find out more information about taxable retail sales in:

Counties

Cities

Some highlights of 10 counties and cities in the state:

County	Taxable retail sales	Percent change	Retail trade	Percent change
King	$ 20.3 billion	-0.7	$ 7.0 billion	0.4
Pierce	$ 5.6 billion	2.6	$ 2.6 billion	-1.5
Snohomish	$ 5.0 billion	-0.7	$ 2.4 billion	-3.1
Spokane	$ 3.4 billion	0.3	$ 1.6 billion	-2.6
Clark	$ 2.7 billion	1.1	$ 1.1 billion	1.0
Thurston	$ 1.8 billion	0.2	$ 863 million	-1.4
Kitsap	$ 1.6 billion	1.7	$ 737 million	-1.1
Benton	$ 1.4 billion	0.4	$ 666 million	-0.8
Yakima	$ 1.3 billion	0.9	$ 606 million	-0.8
Whatcom	$ 1.5 billion	0.1	$ 631 million	1.1

City	Taxable retail sales	Percent change	Retail trade	Percent change
Seattle	$ 8.0 billion	-0.5	$ 2.3 billion	-1.2
Bellevue	$ 2.3 billion	-9.2	$ 890 million	-0.8
Tacoma	$ 1.7 billion	1.1	$ 755 million	-3.1
Spokane City	$ 1.6 billion	1.8	$ 690 million	-4.6
Vancouver	$ 1.5 billion	-2.3	$ 624 million	-1.2
Everett	$ 1.0 billion	4.0	$ 392 million	-2.4
Renton	$ 968 million	3.2	$ 449 million	3.7
Puyallup	$ 667 million	-3.9	$ 414 million	-5.7
Kennewick	$ 666 million	-0.4	$ 381 million	0.0
Pasco	$ 583 million	13.2	$ 253 million	-2.7

Compare taxable retail sales numbers for first-quarter 2024 and previous years by checking out the "Retail sales for cities and counties"page on our website.

Check Revenue's Statistics and Reportspage 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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