St. Lawrence County’s sales tax receipts for the first half of 2014 were up 31 percent from what was received for the first half of 2013.

This comes after a 33 percent increase in the county’s sales tax rate from three percent to four percent last December.

In the first half of 2013, St. Lawrence County received from the state $21,117,863 in sales tax money collected here. From January through June this year, the county received $27,665,370, an increase of 31 percent.

The figures, released Wednesday by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, show that the North Country received the largest regional increase in the state, an average of 7.6 percent per North Country county, largely on the strength of increases granted by the state Legislature last year to St. Lawrence, Hamilton, Lewis and Essex counties.

Last December St. Lawrence County and Hamilton County both increased their county sales tax rates from 3 percent to 4 percent; Lewis and Essex counties both increased their rates from 3.75 percent to 4 percent.

Sales tax in the state includes the state’s 4 percent share, bringing the total sales tax rate in St. Lawrence County to 8 percent.