2025 County Sales Tax Report

This week, NYSAC has published an interim version of its annual sales tax report. The report found that sales tax continues to be a critical revenue for counties and other local governments in New York. For counties, the growth in sales tax as a share of total revenues continues to grow in importance with 36 counties collecting more in sales tax than they did in property taxes (after sharing an estimated $2.6 billion in CY 2025 with their local governments). This is a big increase from the last time we looked at this measure in 2019 when the total included 22 counties. Sales tax is a key revenue that helps local government support the costs of local services (as well as the cost of state mandated programs for counties), while also reducing pressure on property taxes.
 
The annual growth in county sales tax receipts have improved in 2025 through August (+2.5%) compared to the same period in 2024 when sales tax was essentially flat. In 2025, only 9 counties are experiencing negative growth in sales tax, while about half did in 2024. While annual growth has improved it remains at the lower end of historic norms. There is a lot of economic uncertainty at this point and potential economic headwinds on the horizon which is currently fueling low consumer confidence and cautious business activity, especially in hiring. 

Find more details, including historic trends, the sectors providing the most sales tax in each county, and expectations for the coming year, read the full report below.