North Dakota’s taxable sales and purchases were up 12.1 percent for the third quarter of 2021, compared with the same three month period in 2020.
It’s for July, August and September, 2021. The taxable sales and purchases for the quarter were $5.32 billion.
State tax commissioner Brian Kroshus called the increase “significant.”
"It really is a reflection of the economic slowdown we experienced in 2020," Kroshus said. "While we haven't fully recovered, in terms of the overall economy, thinks are certainly stabilizing and moving in the right direction. There's no question about that."
Kroshus said 14 of the 15 major sectors reported taxable sales and purchase increases when compared to the third quarter of 2020. He said mining and oil extraction increased by $111 million, or 37.3 percent, and retail increased by $140 million, or 7.5 percent.
"People are going to the brick-and-mortar stores far more often then they were in the year previous," Kroshus said. "On-line sales are somewhat on par, but when you remove th economic uncertainty we were all facing, you can tell things are loosening up."
The state’s four largest cities also saw growth in taxable sales and purchases. Fargo had a 12.9 percent increase, Bismarck was up 5.6 percent, Minot saw a 4.6 percent increase, and Grand Forks had a 2.4 percent increase.
The largest increase among North Dakota's cities was in Watford City — a 37 percent increase.