Tax collections, a measure of sales activity, continue to trend upward overall in Mesa County.

Mesa County collected more than $3.4 million in sales taxes in February, an increase of nearly $106,000 and 3.2 percent over the same month a year ago. February collections reflect January sales.

Mesa County tax collections on retail sales topped more than $1.9 million in February, although that was a decline of almost $56,000 and 2.8 percent from the same month a year ago.

Collections increased 8.7 percent on general merchandise, the largest retail category, but decreased 27 percent on home improvements and 26.5 percent on health and personal care products.

Collections for other industries totaled more than $1.4 million, an increase of  nearly $162,000 and 12.6 percent over February 2022.

Increases in collections in the wholesale, manufacturing and hotel and restaurant categories more than offset decreases in the telecommunications and agriculture categories.

Mesa County also collected more than $305,000 in use taxes in February — nearly all of that on automobiles purchased outside the county, but used inside the county. That was an increase of more than $6,000 and 2.1 percent.

For the first two months of 2023, the county collected nearly $8 million in sales taxes. That was an increase of almost $383,000 and 5 percent over the same span in 2022.

Tax collections on retail sales totaled nearly $4.8 million, about unchanged from a year ago. Collections on the increased sales of general merchandise, sporting goods and clothing offset lower sales of home improvements and health and personal care items.

Collections for other industries totaled almost $3.2 million, a gain of 13.5 percent. Gains in the utilities, construction and hotel and restaurant categories more than offset losses in the telecommunications, finance and medical categories.

Mesa County distributed a total of more than $3 million in sales tax collections to five cities in the county during the first two months of 2023. That included almost $1.8 million to Grand Junction, more than $550,000 to Fruita and nearly $386,000 to Palisade.

The county collected more than $662,000 in use taxes during the first two months of 2023. That’s an increase of almost $16,000 and 2.4 percent from the first two months of 2022.