Published: Wednesday, June 30, 2010, 2:10 PM

Leslie Kwoh- The Star-Ledger

The pharmaceutical industry ranked first on a list of best industry performers during the last 12 months, according to a report Tuesday.

Sales in pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing rose 16 percent, according to Sageworks, a North Carolina research firm. Home health care services and outpatient care centers trailed closely, with sales increases of slightly more than 11 percent each.

The education sector also fared well. Technical and trade schools saw a 8.9 percent increase in sales, the report said.

In perhaps a sign of the emotional distress caused by the recession, facilities for mental health and substance abuse saw a 8.2 percent increase in sales.

The worst performer was the oil and gas extraction sector, which saw a 33.5 percent dropoff in sales. Land subdivision companies followed closely (-31.5 percent), as well as graphic and interior design services (-25.3 percent) and forestry and logging (-24.3 percent).