Taxable sales are up

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
Taxable sales were up 16.2% in the first quarter of 2019, compared with the same period in 2018, according to an economic summary report released by the Wyoming Economic Analysis Division of the Department of Administration and Information. 
Overall, the state of Wyoming experienced a 14.1% increase in taxable sales over the same period. Weston County, along with 16 other counties in the state, experienced increases during the same period that ranged from 0.5% in Park County to 64% in Carbon County. 
The most significant increases in first-quarter taxable sales took place in Converse County, 64%; Johnson County, 31.1%; Carbon County, 31.7%; and Sweetwater County, 30.8%
Despite increases throughout most of the state, taxable sales in six counties decreased in the first quarter 2019, as compared with 2018. Sublette County experienced the biggest decrease at 25.5%, with Fremont (7%), Hot Springs (3.5%), Big Horn (6.4%), Niobrara (1.5%) and Albany (0.3%) counties also experiencing a decrease. 
A breakdown of the taxable sales in Weston County shows a decrease in six specific industries, while taxable sales increased in nine industries. The overall taxable sales in the first quarter of 2019 totaled $1,303,358, compared with first quarter 2018’s taxable sales of $1,121,694. 
The largest increase in the county from 2018 to 2019 was in the transportation and warehousing industry, with an overall increase of 407.7% or $19,086. Other industries experiencing increases in the county were mining (including oil and gas extraction) at 82.6%; financial activities at 98.8%; and utilities, construction and retail trade, all with increases of over 20%. 
The largest decrease in taxable sales occurred in agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (97.3%, or $280). Education and health services decreased by 54.9%. Other services were down 28.8%, and wholesale trade experienced a decrease of 34.2%.