Sales tax collections rise in Crook County

The total amount of sales and use tax collected locally grew by 11.2% this year – nearing double the statewide average.

Crook County was on the higher percentage end of 16 counties that saw an increase in collections, with Niobrara County coming in top with 50%, followed by Albany with 38.6%.

Wyoming’s Economic Analysis Division attributes this to a continued rebound in mineral activities or an expansion of utilities projecst.

“This robust expansion is the result of continued higher spending on wind power projects and strong lodging sales, mixed with cooling inflation and deceleration in mineral extraction activities,” said Dr. Wenlin Liu, Chief Economist.

The economy has been growing since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, although this growth is now slowing. Nearly every major industrial sector saw growth from 2023, according to a recent report from the division.

In Crook County, total tax collection has been rising since 2022, when $11,116,516 was collected. This year, the total was $14,339,718.

On the “sales” side of the coin, mining saw a significant increase locally. Just over $1 million was collected this year, which was more than double the $496,678 collected in 2022.

Collections from construction also increased, from $90,940 in 2022 to $145,150 in 2024. Manufacturing also saw a jump from 2022’s $202,881 to $374,174 this year.

Wholesale trade has also been climbing, from $611,812 in 2022 to $943,043 this year. Retail trade jumped by just under $1 million across the two years, standing at $5.2 million in 2024.

Financial activities – a category that mostly comes from leasing and rentals of machinery, equipment and automotive – saw a smaller increase from $683,665 in 2022 to $872,706 this year.

Collections from agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting rebounded this year to $13,133 after dropping last year to just over $9000. Public administration, which reflects taxes from automobile purchases, decreased slightly to $581,969.

On the “use” side, collections from gas stations rose from $601,580 in 2022 to $749,077 this year, while electronic and appliance stores rose from $121,234 in 2022 to $187,018 in 2024.

Building material and garden supplies jumped from $1.16 million to just under $1.5 million in the same timeframe, while electronic shopping jumped from $876,817 to $1.26 million and clothing and shoe stores rose from $30,444 to $53,835.

General merchandise store collections dropped from $142,105 to $105,908 over the two years.

Utilities, information, professional and business services, education and health services, auto dealers, and parts, home furnishings, liquor stores, department stores and leisure and hospitality all stayed relatively stable across the two-year period.

In total, collections from “use” rose by 18.4% from last year, while those from “sales” rose by 9.8%.

Lodging tax, on the other hand, has been falling over the last couple of years, with a 2.5% decrease from 2023. The total amount collected in 2022 was $375,199, which fell to $317,463 this year.