Ulster County Comptroller March Gallagher released a Sales Tax Revenues Snapshot showing that 2025 actual sales tax revenue of $180.9 million exceeded projected revenue by $5.9 million. Sales tax is a substantial revenue for the County and provided 38% of all budgeted revenues for 2025. The report provides a decade of sales tax history, information on the largest sales tax generating sectors of the economy, and an analysis of the impact of internet sales on sales tax revenues.
During the 2024-2025 sales tax year (March 1, 2024 – February 28, 2025), the industry sector with the largest taxable sales was Department Stores with $471 million in taxable sales, followed by Automobile Dealers at $397 million, Restaurants at $383 million, and Gasoline Stations at $343 million.
Over the ten-year period from 2016-2025 Ulster County sales tax revenue has grown every year except for 2020, during the pandemic. The County also saw a banner year in revenue growth in 2021 as the economy rebounded. The average growth over the period was 5.41%, which exceeds the historical trend of 3% annual growth.
