First Quarter Sales Tax Collections Up 2.7% For Cortland County

Local sales tax collections are up 3.2% totaling $5.8 billion dollars for the first quarter of year, according to New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. DiNapoli says each of the state’s 10 regions, including New York City, saw year-over-year increases in collections.

“Local sales tax collections grew in the first quarter compared to last year, but this growth could be threatened by economic disruptions and uncertainty,” DiNapoli said. “I encourage local officials to take advantage of the financial tools and guidance my office offers to help shore up their finances and build resilience against the challenging headwinds we face.”

This is now the second straight year sales tax collections were below the pre-pandemic average increase of 3.5%. Cortland County saw an increase of 2.7% for first quarter collections when compared to 2024. So far in 2025, the county has collected $9.9 million in sales tax.

January saw the highest percentage increase, at 14.2% totaling $3.59 million collected in the month within the county. April had an increase of 6.8%, and March experienced a decline of 10.1% in collections when compared to last year.

Neighboring Tompkins County is up 8.3% for the first quarter of 2025 when compared to 2024; the county collected $16.53 million in sales tax.