This is Sidekick's data series, which covers the raw numbers behind life in Shasta County: jobs, pay, sales and housing. Each article is built from official public statistics. We report what the numbers show and explain what they measure, without editorializing.
Taxable sales at restaurants and bars in Shasta County came to $89.4 million in April–June 2026, +$2.1 million (+2.4%) from a year earlier. This category was 8.4% of all taxable sales in the county. These are current dollars, not adjusted for inflation. The April–June 2026 figures are preliminary; the agency revises them, and the comparisons here are redone with the revised figures.
What this measures
This is what restaurants and bars in the county reported in taxable sales. Most restaurant meals are taxed, though this is not the same as these businesses' total revenue. Residents and visitors both count, and the figure cannot separate them.
Why this metric matters
Many households can cut back on eating out when money is tight, so these sales can be used as one indicator of activity in a business that depends on that spending. They also move with menu prices and the number of visitors.
Notes
- In 2023 the state moved to newer industry codes, which shifted some stores between categories, so store-type figures from before then do not always match exactly.
How we calculated this
Changes compare a period with the same period a year earlier.Show the formula
change = value(this period) − value(same period last year); % change = change ÷ value(same period last year) × 100
A dollar figure is reported as little changed only when its change from a year earlier rounds to 0.0%.Show the formula
little changed when the % change, to one decimal place, is 0.0
Taxable sales count only sales subject to the state sales tax, which leaves out most groceries, prescription drugs and services. Figures are in current dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
Source: California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, data released 2026-09-10.
