Retail sales in Aspen were up 10 percent in February compared to the same month last year, according to the latest city sales tax report.

Although the numbers got a boost due to the extra day in February because of leap year, the month saw $55 million in taxable retail activity in the city, and $1.15 million in city sales tax collections.

The sectors seeing the biggest gains were construction, which was up 43 percent; sports equipment and clothing, up 24 percent; general retail, up 21 percent; and clothing and food and drug, both up 14 percent.

The automobile category was down 22 percent.

Following a strong January, year-to-date 2012 is up 11 percent over 2011 in terms of taxable retail activity in Aspen.

Lodging tax revenues were up 4 percent for February, according to the report.

The real estate transfer tax, which adds 1.5 percent to real estate transactions in the city, was up 50 percent in March (the RETT reports are available a month earlier than sales tax reports). The big gain was due mostly to the closing of the Dancing Bear development, which sold to new owners for $27.5 million. Through the first quarter of the year, RETT revenues are 14 percent ahead of last year.