Sales tax collections continue to trend upward in Mesa County, although not for all retail or industry categories.

The county collected more than $4.4 million in sales tax in July, an increase of four-tenths of a percent over collections for the same month last year. July collections reflect June sales.

The county collected more than $28.3 million in sales taxes through the first seven months of 2023, a gain of 1.8 percent over the same span in 2022.

Mesa County collected another $10.7 million in sales taxes through the first seven months of 2023 it distributed back to a total of five cities and towns in the county. Grand Junction received more than $6.2 million, Fruita nearly $2 million, Palisade almost $1.4 million, and Collbran and DeBeque about $586,000 each.

The county collected more than $2.5 million in taxes on retail sales in July, a drop of 2.4 percent compared to the same month a year ago. Collections decreased on a year-over-year basis for six of eight categories, but increased 14.5 percent on sales of food and beverages. Collections held steady on sales of health and personal care items.

Sales tax collections totaled more than $1.9 million in July for other industries with a 17.1 percent year-over-year gain in the wholesale category and 4.3 percent gain in the hotel and restaurant category. Collections dropped 7 percent in the manufacturing category and 9 percent in the construction category.

For the first seven months of 2023, the county collected nearly $16.5 million in taxes on retail sales, a 2.1 percent decline from the same span in 2022. Collections rose 3.4 percent on the sale of general merchandise and 10.7 on the sale of food and beverages, but fell 15.5 percent for home improvements and 4.7 percent on automobiles.

The county collected nearly $11.9 million in sales taxes from other industries through the first seven months of 2023, a 7.6 percent increase over the same span in 2022. Gains in the wholesale, hotel and restaurant and utilities industries more than offset losses in other industries.

Use tax collections — nearly all from automobiles purchased outside Mesa County, but used inside the county — totaled $337,786 in July. That’s a decline of four-tenths of a percent from the same month a year ago. For the first seven months of 2023, use tax collections totaled more than $2.5 million. That’s also a decline of four-tenths of a percent from the same span in 2022.