Salina and Saline County Showed Modest November Sales Tax Growth in Latest Report

The city of Salina posted modest growth with a 1.3% increase in local sales tax collections from November 2025 sales activity, reaching $1,450,811.73 compared to $1,431,522.03 from November 2024, according to the Kansas Department of Revenue's January 2026 distribution report. Saline County overall demonstrated slightly stronger performance with a 1.7% gain, collecting $1,818,702.69, up from $1,788,897.36, as both jurisdictions showed continued positive momentum though falling short of the statewide average during the important pre-holiday shopping period.

Salina's $19,289.70 increase represents a significant deceleration from October sales (reported in December), which showed robust 5.3% year-over-year growth. The slowdown to just 1.3% growth in November suggests that consumer spending softened during what is typically a strong shopping month that includes Black Friday and the start of holiday purchases. The 2.5% month-over-month increase from October's sales ($1,415,479.51) to November's ($1,450,811.73) reflects the expected seasonal uptick as the holiday shopping season began, though the modest year-over-year comparison indicates that November 2024 was also a relatively strong period. Saline County's 1.5% local sales tax rate, implemented in April 2021, contributed to a $29,805.33 increase from November 2024 sales, with the county's 1.9% month-over-month gain from October demonstrating steady sequential growth across the broader region.

Comparing Salina and Saline County's November sales results to neighboring areas reveals dramatically varied regional performance:

McPherson surged with exceptional 13.1% growth to $345,855.97 from $305,850.35 in November 2024, representing the city's strongest performance in recent memory and a dramatic reversal from earlier struggles. McPherson County posted similarly impressive 9.3% growth to $776,730.60, suggesting that the region captured substantial Black Friday and early holiday shopping activity that eluded other regional competitors.

Riley County declined 3.5% to $640,793.75 from $663,877.83 in November 2024, while Manhattan fell 3.2% to $2,336,748.90 from $2,414,104.01. Both jurisdictions posted negative growth during what should have been a strong shopping period, with their declines making Salina and Saline County's modest gains look comparatively better.

Dickinson County declined 1.7% to $359,232.48 from $365,327.43 in November 2024, with year-over-year comparisons affected by rate changes implemented in April 2024. The city of Abilene collected $140,882.74, marked "n/a" due to its July 2025 rate adjustment.

Statewide, Kansas recorded 2.9% growth in November sales tax collections to $108,934,024.33 from $105,899,584.60, providing a benchmark that both Salina (1.3%) and Saline County (1.7%) fell short of during the critical pre-holiday period.

Salina's 1.3% November growth and Saline County's 1.7% increase both trailed the statewide 2.9% average, representing a concerning slowdown from October's strong performance when both jurisdictions exceeded or matched state benchmarks. The modest November gains stand in stark contrast to McPherson's extraordinary 13.1% surge and McPherson County's 9.3% growth, suggesting that regional consumers may have shifted shopping patterns or that competitive dynamics intensified during the Black Friday period. While Salina and Saline County performed better than declining jurisdictions like Riley County (-3.5%) and Manhattan (-3.2%), the deceleration from October's robust 5.3% and 4.8% gains respectively raises questions about whether the region is losing momentum entering the peak December holiday shopping period.

The November performance marks a disappointing step backward for Salina and Saline County after October's strong results had suggested sustained growth momentum. The 2.5% month-over-month increase for Salina and 1.9% for the county demonstrate that November sales did improve sequentially from October levels, which is the expected seasonal pattern.