Retail, lodging, restaurant & bar sales
County & state
- In January 2023, Cochise County’s restaurant and bar sales were up, while retail and hotel/motel receipts were down, compared to January 2022, after adjusting for inflation.
- Cochise County's estimated restaurant and bar sales were up 19.0% in January (compared to January last year). That follows annual growth of 0.7% for all of 2022. January’s increase was the third consecutive month of growth following six straight months of decline. Statewide, Arizona's restaurant and bar sales were up 10.1% in January after growing 7.7% all last year.
- January retail sales in Cochise County were down 0.9% from January 2022 (compared to a 0.3% decrease for all of Arizona). Cochise County’s January decline followed two months of inflation-adjusted growth (on the heels of six consecutive months of year-over-year decline). Last year, Cochise County’s annual retail sales were down 1.2% while statewide sales were down 1.3% (compared to the year prior).
- Inflation continued to play a major though lessening role in determining the direction and magnitude of changes in sales estimates, subtracting 6.4 percentage points from growth rates for the January comparisons (down from an average of 8.0 points for all of 2022). As a result, Cochise County’s nominal retail sales increase of 5.5% in the January comparisons was adjusted to the 0.9% decline. In 2022, annual nominal growth of 6.8% became a 1.2% inflation-adjusted decline. Inflation adjustments are made using CPI-U measuring the general rate of inflation.
- Cochise County’s hotel/motel receipts were down 13.1% in the January comparisons after growing 5.4% for the year in 2022. Despite last year’s overall annual increase, however, receipts have been down year-over-year in eight of the most recent nine months. Statewide, lodging receipts were up 22.0% in January following annual growth of 18.8% for all last year.
- Sales by remote sellers (those without a physical presence in Arizona and with annual gross sales in-state of $100,000 or more) were up 2.0% in Cochise County in January, after inflation, compared to a 7.6% increase statewide. In 2022, annual remote sales were up 2.9% in Cochise County and 11.6% statewide.
Municipalities
- Estimated retail sales in Benson were up 4.0% in January, after inflation, following annual growth of 1.1% in 2022. Restaurant and bar sales were up 19.6% in January after falling 6.0% for all last year. Hotel/motel receipts in Benson were up 38.0% in January following an annual drop of 4.4% for 2022.
- In Bisbee, retail sales were down 1.0% in the January comparisons after declining 11.8% for the year in 2022. Restaurant and bar sales were down 15.2% in January after strong growth of 32.4% last year. Bisbee’s hotel/motel receipts were down 69.6% in January following an annual gain of 53.1% last year.
- In Douglas, retail sales were up 0.7% in the January comparisons after growing 0.2% for the year in 2022. Restaurant and bar sales were up 68.2% in January following an annual increase of 4.4% last year. (Hotel/motel estimates are unavailable for Douglas due to the small number of establishments and state department of revenue confidentiality rules.)
- Huachuca City’s retail sales were up 16.6% in the January comparisons after falling 1.0% for all of 2022. (Restaurant and bar and hotel/motel estimates are not available for Huachuca City due to the small number of businesses and tax confidentiality rules.)
- Retail sales in Sierra Vista were down 5.8% in January, after inflation, on the heels of a 2.5% decline for all last year. Restaurant and bar sales were up 12.3% in January following a 2.4% annual drop in 2022. Sierra Vista’s hotel/motel receipts were up 33.9% in January after a 7.0% annual increase last year.
- Tombstone’s retail sales were down 6.7% in January after falling 8.3% for the year in 2022. Restaurant and bar sales were up 1.4% in January following a 10.0% annual decline in 2022. Hotel/motel receipts in Tombstone were up 64.7% in January after dropping 1.9% overall last year.
- In Willcox, estimated retail sales were up 2.7% in the January comparisons after increasing 2.6% for the year in 2022. Restaurant and bar sales were up 35.8% in January following annual growth of 2.4% last year. Willcox hotel/motel receipts were down 17.6% in January after falling 6.0% for all of 2022, after the inflation adjustment.