North Dakota's Tax Department says taxable sales and purchases jumped 11.6 percent during last year's Christmas shopping season.

Taxable sales and purchases totaled $2.83 billion during October, November and December of last year. That's an increase of $294 million from the same three-month period the year before.

Tax Commissioner Cory Fong says worries about the national economy apparently did not dampen last year's holiday shopping.

Retail trade is the biggest part of North Dakota's taxable sales and purchases. That sector went up 9 percent during October, November and December.

In mining and oil extraction, taxable sales and purchases jumped 81 percent, from $57 million to $103 million.

- AssociatedPress