Taxable retail sales and retail trade showed double-digit increases in Jefferson and Clallam counties during the second quarter of 2005, according to Quarterly Business Review data posted on the state Department of Revenue’s Web site.

The county statistics also exceeded statewide growth in both areas.

Retail trade includes taxable sales of building materials and hardware, general merchandise, food, auto dealers, apparel, furnishings and miscellaneous retails sales, and is a better barometer of consumer purchases.

Meanwhile, taxable retail sales include retailing services, construction, wholesaling, finance and insurance and real estate. Sales tax from contracting can be highly volatile, the review says.

In Clallam County, retail trade increased 14 percent over the second quarter of 2004, from $100.8 million to $114.9 million in 2005.

Taxable retail sales also showed robust growth over the second quarter of 2004, increasing 12.4 percent from $208 million to $233.9 million.

In Port Angeles, retail trade only increased 0.4 percent, from $33.6 million to $33.74 million while taxable retail sales went up 6.7 percent from $72.2 million in 2004 to $77 million in 2005.

In Jefferson County, retail trade jumped 10.3 percent from the second quarter of 2004, increasing from $26.5 million to $29.2 million.

Jefferson County’s taxable retail sales increased 10.2 percent, from $83 million in the second quarter of 2004 to $91.5 million in 2005.

In Port Townsend, retail trade went up 2.1 percent from $14.3 million to $14.6 million in 2005 while taxable retails sales jumped 8.8 percent from $41.6 million in 2005 to $45.3 million in 2005.

Statewide, retail trade increased 7.8 percent over 2004 figures and taxable retail sales jumped 8.9 percent.