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Stats Show County as Trade Center

While the national economy may in a recession, retail business in Chillicothe seems to be holding their own. In fact, according to state and city statistics, Livingston County has established itself as a trade center for the region. Considering today's economic climate, perhaps the most impressive figures come from City Hall, which show that the city ended the 2008-09 fiscal year in the black in the amount of retail sales tax collected.

According to City Treasurer Sherry Parks, the city collected $3,633,523 in retail tax revenue for the year — a figure $433 higher than the amount budgeted and nearly $52,000 more than what was collected during 2007-08. That might not be much, but according to the city's economic developer Terry Rumery, simply finishing in the black is saying something in today's economy. "We read all the doom and gloom, and there's definitely problems out there," Rumery said. However, he added, "We're weathering this storm better than most which is a good testament to Chillicothe," he said.

Not only that, but according to state statistics, Livingston County was one of only two in the northwest region showing a pull factor of above 1 in 2007. (A pull factor greater than 1 indicates either a gain in customers from other states or that residents spent more than the state average). According to a retail trade analysis released recently from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center, Livingston County had a pull factor of 1.37 percent in 2007. The only other county in the northwest region with a pull factor above 1 during that time was Buchanan with a pull factor of 1.33 percent.

Conversely, the report shows that 16 counties had a pull factor below 1, indicating residents either spent less than their state counterparts or residents purchased more goods outside their county. The counties that lost customers or spent less than the state average were located in regions surrounding the metropolitan counties. Worth and Putnam County had the lowest pull factor (0.06), followed by Caldwell (0.22) and Clinton (0.27).

Overall, customers in the Northwest region spent more than $1.5 billion in retail purchases in 2007 according to the report, capturing 3.37 percent of the market share in Missouri. Statewide, $45.14 billion in retail trade was generated.