Retail sales are calculated from the Illinois Department of Revenue’s Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Code Reporting, available HERE. The following is a brief description of the measures used.

Retail sales 2018 to 2019 in Fairview Heights decreased by 2.21%. Retail sales in downstate decreased by 2.21% during the same period.

Changes in sales are partially determined by the number of retail businesses in operation. In Fairview Heights, businesses decreased 4.34% compared to the 2.21% decrease for downstate Illinois from the previous year. Per capita sales (sales divided by local population) in Fairview Heights were $43,828 compared with $13,625 for downstate in 2019.

The drawing power of a city or county is reflected by the Pull Factor which is calculated as the ratio of local per capita sales divided by downstate/collar per capita retail sales. Downstate figures are for all incorporated and unincorporated areas except those in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties which become the collar counties. The state was divided up into two regions to alleviate the effects of the Chicago economy on downstate retail.