In Covid Economic Recovery, Idaho Stands Out With Sales Tax Haul

With its population still less than a quarter of New York City’s, the state of Idaho is emerging as the biggest winner of the nation’s historic economic rebound from the pandemic.

Riding a demographic shift that predates Covid-19, Idaho has seen its sales tax collections increase by almost 40% compared to pre-pandemic levels, the most out of 43 states tracked by the Urban Institute. The state now has a $1.9 billion budget surplus and brought in more than $5 billion of revenue in the 2021 fiscal year, its largest intake ever.

“For months we had been expecting the growth to ...