Clay Center, KS – According to the Kansas Department of Revenue Fiscal 2021 Annual Report, Clay County’s Pull Factor for Retail Sales improved by 19.5%, second only to Woodson County with a significantly smaller trade area population.

The KS Dept of Revenue measures the relative strength of the retail trade for the retail business community. The Country Trade Pull Factor (CTPF) is computed by dividing the per capita sales tax of a county by the statewide per capital sale tax. A CTPF of 1.00 is a perfect balance of trade. The purchase of county residents who shop elsewhere are offset by the purchases of out of county customers. CTPF values greater than 1.00 indicates that local businesses are pulling in trade from beyond their home county borders.

Clay County improved from a CTPF in Fiscal 2020 of .78 to a CTPF in 2021 of .93, a 20.21% improvement. Other counties in the area improved as well. Cloud from .97 to .99, Geary from .86 to .90, Marshal from .93 to .94, Riley from .72 to .74, and Washington from .59 to .60.

Grow Clay County Executive Director Natalie Muruato comments, “Clay County has a broad selection of retailers from restaurants, car dealerships, special shops, farm suppliers, and building suppliers. This broad base as well as people realizing during the pandemic that they could get what they need closer to home has built this factor significantly.”  Muruato went on to say, “Clay County has a strong momentum of community pride, community growth, and community investment that will really make a difference in the years to come.”

Clay County and the adjoining counties account for 4.36% of the total state sales tax collections.

To see the full report from the Kansas Department of Revenue, visit https://www.ksrevenue.gov/pdf/pullfactorfy21.pdf#search=Pull%20Factors%202021.