The city of Salina delivered robust performance with a 6.4% increase in local sales tax collections for October 2025, reaching $1,532,179.82 compared to $1,440,381.65 in October 2024, according to the Kansas Department of Revenue. Saline County overall demonstrated similarly strong growth of 5.2%, collecting $1,924,202.65, up from $1,828,459.29, marking a notable acceleration from September's more modest pace and positioning the region among the strongest performers in central Kansas as the holiday shopping season approaches.
Salina's $91,798.17 increase in revenue represents the city's fourth consecutive month of year-over-year growth and a significant acceleration from September's 2.4% gain. The month-over-month improvement of 2.3% from September to October indicates strengthening consumer activity. Saline County's 1.5% local sales tax rate, implemented in April 2021, contributed to a $95,743.36 increase in October revenue, with the county's 1.6% month-over-month gain from September demonstrating sustained positive momentum heading into the critical holiday retail period.
Comparing Salina and Saline County's results to neighboring areas reveals the region's strengthening competitive position:
- McPherson continued its struggles with a 1.6% decline to $327,040.06 from $332,392.10 in October 2024, marking the city's third consecutive month of year-over-year losses. This persistent weakness in a comparable regional center highlights Salina's superior economic positioning and retail draw.
- Dickinson County posted minimal decline of just 0.7% to $402,021.72. The city of Abilene, however, showed strength with collections of $155,217.35, though specific year-over-year comparisons are complicated by rate changes implemented in July 2025.
- Riley County demonstrated solid 3.6% growth to $768,975.96 from $742,225.03 in October 2024, trailing Salina's 6.4% gain but showing improvement from its weaker summer performance. Manhattan posted strong 5.6% growth to $2,732,246.88, slightly trailing Salina's percentage gain despite its larger university-anchored economic base.
- McPherson County overall declined 5.8% to $736,630.20 from $782,349.03, underperforming both Saline County and the broader region as economic challenges persisted throughout the county.
Salina's 6.4% growth and Saline County's 5.2% increase positioned the region as clear leaders among central Kansas communities for October 2025. Both jurisdictions significantly outperformed the statewide average of 5.4%, while dramatically exceeding the performance of regional competitors like McPherson (-1.6%), McPherson County (-5.8%), and Dickinson County (-0.7%). Even when compared to larger university-anchored Manhattan (5.6%), Salina held its own with superior growth rates. The city's collections of over $1.53 million monthly represent substantial economic activity and reinforce Salina's role as a premier retail destination for north-central Kansas.
The accelerating performance shown by Salina and Saline County through the summer and fall months demonstrates increasingly robust economic fundamentals.
After posting strong gains in July (5.2%) and August (7.7%), the region moderated slightly in September (2.4%) before accelerating again in October (6.4%). This pattern suggests an economy responding positively to seasonal retail dynamics while maintaining underlying strength. Salina's ability to sustain monthly collections exceeding $1.5 million, combined with year-to-date growth of 4.4%, positions the city and county as economic bright spots entering the crucial holiday shopping season, with strong momentum likely to continue as retailers prepare for their most important sales period of the year.
