Bright economy

There are signs, based on sales tax revenue and a survey of local bankers, that the Cape Girardeau area is faring better economically than the rest of Missouri or the nation as a whole.

Sales tax revenue for the first six months of 2010 was up both in Cape Girardeau and Cape Girardeau County, an indication that consumers are spending more. Those increases contrast with statewide figures that show Missouri lagging behind the national pace for retail sales.

And bankers here say economic growth is slow but steady, which puts Cape Girardeau ahead of the rest of a 10-state region in which rural bankers were surveyed.

The sales tax figures are a pretty fair indicator of personal spending habits. Lower receipts mean consumers are either holding off on taxable purchases or have less to spend. The bank survey indicates small-business and farm customers, the staple of rural banks, are seeing a slow upswing that is likely to last well into next year.

Part of Cape Girardeau's better-than-average economy can be attributed to the stability of many of the area's largest employers. In addition, Cape Girardeau is a regional retail, industrial, medical and education hub, further strengthening its economy, even coming out of a recession.