Northwest Arkansas sales tax revenue rises 5.68% in September report

Through the first nine reporting months of 2023, Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers and Springdale had sales tax revenue of $84.545 million, up 10.18% from the same period last year. The cities had revenue of $9.363 million, up 5.68% in the September report compared to a year ago.

Bentonville’s sales tax revenue growth continues to outpace the other cities in the region. In the September report, Bentonville reported sales tax revenue of $2.29 million, up 11.1% from a year ago. Mayor Stephanie Orman attributes the sales tax revenue growth to Bentonville’s bigger population and surge in its business sector. Through the September report, Bentonville has collected more than $21.617 million, up 20.5% this year over last. Orman does expect the city will see some future rebates that could offset that growth before the year’s end.

Rogers reports sales tax revenue grew by 6.41% in the September report. Revenue totaled $2.455 million, the best September on record for the city. Through the September report, Rogers’ total revenue was $21.399 million, up 7.07% from the year-ago period. The city has already seen rebates offsetting its revenue by $1.07 million so far this year. The city is slightly behind its target budget of $24.9 million for the full year, with still three months of reporting for calendar 2023.

The city of Fayetteville reported sales tax revenue growth of 5.08% in the September report. Revenue totaled $2.564 million, compared to $2.439 million a year ago. Fayetteville, the largest city of the four in this report, has seen the pace of growth slow in 2023 compared to the strong results a year ago. Fayetteville reported total revenue through September of $23.686 million, up 8.09% from $21.912 million in the year-ago period.

Springdale also has seen its sales tax revenue growth slow this year, which has not been a surprise for Mayor Doug Sprouse. He predicted a slowing would be likely earlier this year. In the September report, Springdale collected sales tax revenue of $2.053 million, up 0.13% from a year ago. Through the first nine months of this year, Springdale’s sales tax revenue collections total $17.87 million, up 5.74% year over year. The city has added nearly $1 million more to its coffers through September compared to a year ago.