Alexandria & Douglas County MN Retail Trade Analysis

2011 Alexandria & Douglas County Retail Trade Analysis

Alexandria & Douglas County, MN Comparison with Like Trade Centers:

Information about like/competing trade centers can provide a useful means of comparison when assessing a community’s retail trade strength. Comparison cities are selected based on geographic proximity, relative size, and availability of data. Some caution is warranted in the interpretation of these comparisons however, since retail sales data is provided for only a limited number of communities.

The “Pull Factors” illustrated below are calculated using taxable sales. Although taxable sales do not capture the full extent of sales in stores with a large number of untaxed goods, like grocery and apparel stores, this data is audited by the Minnesota Department of Revenue. Since sales tax laws apply statewide, all cities are compared on the same basis.

Based upon 2011 retail sales data, the City of Alexandria has a pull factor of 2.51. This number indicates that retail sales within the City of Alexandria area nearly 251% higher than the per capital average rate as the state of Minnesota. In addition, based upon 2011 data, Douglas County has a pull factor of 1.19, indicating that retail sales throughout the County are 119% higher than the state average per capita.