DENVER – Sales of building materials in Weld County increased 30.6 percent in the first quarter of 2010 compared to the first quarter of 2009, while in other parts of the state and the nation sales dropped, according to figures released Wednesday by the Colorado Department of Revenue.

Sales at Weld County home centers, paint and wall-covering stores, hardware stores, outdoor equipment stores, nurseries and specialized building material dealers increased to $26.7 million, from $20. 4 million in 2009 – the greatest percentage jump of the 15 counties in the report. Douglas County saw a 12.2 percent increase, while Broomfield, Jefferson, Pueblo, and El Paso counties all showed single-digit increases over last year.

Overall sales in the selected counties decreased 2.7 percent over last year, with Mesa County on the Western Slope reporting a 23.3 percent drop. Fremont, Garfield and La Plata counties also saw double-digit decreases since last year. Larimer County’s decrease nearly mirrored the state average at 2.3 percent – down to $55.9 million from $57.3 million in the first quarter of 2009.

Colorado’s retail sales of building materials excluding nurseries were $771.1 million in first quarter 2010, 5.8 percent below the same quarter from a year ago. Nationally, sales of building materials decreased 2 percent to $56.5 billion in the first quarter 2010 over the first quarter 2009.

The full report is available as a .pdf file on the Department of Revenue’s website at www.colorado.gov/revenue under Library, Statistical Studies and Reports, Colorado Selected Retail Sales Reports.