February Biz Barometer

• Pekin’s sales tax disbursement received from the state in January was 18.4% more than January of 2012.  January disbursements typically represent sales taxes collected by merchants in November.
• Pekin’s sales tax disbursements received from the state for the last 3 months were 17.5% greater than the same three months a year ago.
• The other three large communities on the east side of the Illinois River showed mixed results in sales tax disbursements received in January, compared to January of 2012:  Morton (-5.1%), East Peoria (+3.6%), and Washington (+4.3%)
• For the 12-months ending in January, all four communities showed an increase in sales tax receipts from the state, compared to the same 12-months a year ago:   Pekin (+8.8%), East Peoria (+6.3%), Morton (+3.0%), and Washington (+3.1%)
• The number of residential units sold in the 61554 zip code in 2012 was 8.7% greater than 2011.
• The other large Tazewell County communities are showing large increases in residential unit sales for 2012, compared to 2011:  Morton (+29.6%), Washington (+28.9%), and East Peoria (+27.9%).
• The average sales price of residential units in the 61554 zip code for 2012 is $108,595.  
• That is a 3.6% increase over 2011.
• The average sales price of residential units in the other large Tazewell communities is also up compared to 2011:  Morton (+7.6%), East Peoria (+5.5%), and Washington (+5.0%).
• The unemployment rate in Pekin in December rose to 9.4%, which is up from 8.6% in November of 2012.
• The December unemployment rate in the Peoria region stood at 7.9%, up slightly from December of 2011’s rate of 7.8%.
• The number of people employed in Pekin in December was 15,989, which is 272 or 1.7% less than the employment level in December of 2011.
• Nationally, Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 155,000 in December, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 7.8%. Employment increased in health care, food services and drinking places, construction, and manufacturing.
• The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) was unchanged in December on a seasonally adjusted basis.  Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 1.7% before seasonal adjustment.