Retail sales in the US increased 1.2% month-over-month in August 2026, the most in five months, following a revised 0.5% fall in July which was the first decline since October 2025, and compared to forecasts of a 0.8% gain. Sales at gasoline stations recorded the biggest increase (3.1%), followed by nonstore retailers (2.6%); miscellaneous store retailers (1.9%); electronics & appliance stores (1.6%); food services & drinking places (1.2%); sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument & book stores (1.2%); furniture (0.9%); clothing (0.7%); general merchandise stores (0.7%); motor vehicles && parts (0.6%); and food & beverages stores (0.4%). In contrast, sales declined at building material & garden equipment stores (-0.2%). The data is not adjusted for inflation. Sales excluding food services, auto dealers, building materials stores and gasoline stations, which are used to calculate GDP, jumped 1.4%, much higher than forecasts of 0.4%. source: U.S. Census Bureau

Retail Sales in the United States increased 1.20 percent in August of 2026 over the previous month. Retail Sales MoM in the United States averaged 0.39 percent from 1992 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 19.30 percent in May of 2020 and a record low of -14.40 percent in April of 2020. This page provides - U.S. December Retail Sales Increased More Than Forecast - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. US Retail Sales - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on October of 2026.

Retail Sales in the United States increased 1.20 percent in August of 2026 over the previous month. Retail Sales MoM in the United States is expected to be 0.10 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the US Retail Sales is projected to trend around 0.70 percent in 2027 and 0.50 percent in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-08-14 12:30 PM
Retail Sales MoM
Jul -0.6% 0.2% 0.1% 0.3%
2026-09-16 12:30 PM
Retail Sales MoM
Aug 1.2% -0.5% 0.8% 0.7%
2026-10-15 01:30 PM
Retail Sales MoM
Sep 1.2% 0.1%



Components Last Previous Unit Reference
Retail Sales Building and Garden Supply Stores MoM -0.20 -0.10 percent Aug 2026
Retail Sales Car Dealers MoM 0.60 -1.80 percent Aug 2026
Retail Sales Clothing Stores MoM 0.70 1.30 percent Aug 2026
Retail Sales Electronics Stores MoM 1.60 -0.10 percent Aug 2026
Retail Sales Ex Autos MoM 1.40 -0.20 percent Aug 2026
Retail Sales Ex Gas MoM 1.10 -0.60 percent Aug 2026
Retail Sales Ex Gas/Autos MoM 1.20 -0.30 percent Aug 2026
Retail Sales Food and Beverage Stores MoM 0.40 -0.20 percent Aug 2026
Retail Sales Furniture Stores MoM 0.90 -0.20 percent Aug 2026
Retail Sales Gasoline Stations MoM 3.10 -0.20 percent Aug 2026
Retail Sales General Merchandise Stores MoM 0.70 0.50 percent Aug 2026
Retail Sales Health and Personal Care Stores MoM 0.90 0.30 percent Aug 2026
Retail Sales Miscellaneous Store Retailers MoM 1.90 -0.60 percent Aug 2026
Retail Sales Online Trade MoM 2.60 -1.70 percent Aug 2026
Retail Sales Restaurants and Bars MoM 1.20 0.50 percent Aug 2026
Retail Sales Sporting Goods and Hobby Stores MoM 1.20 0.20 percent Aug 2026

Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Chain Store Sales 3060.00 3024.00 USD Million Aug 2026
Retail Sales Control Group MoM 1.40 -0.40 percent Aug 2026
Retail Sales MoM 1.20 -0.50 percent Aug 2026
Retail Sales YoY 6.00 5.00 percent Aug 2026


US Retail Sales
Retail sales report in the US provides aggregated measure of sales of retail goods and services over a period of a month. There are thirteen major types of retailers: Motor vehicle & parts dealers (20% of total sales), Nonstore retailers (17%), Food services & drinking places (14%), Food & beverage stores (12%), General merchandise stores (10%), Gasoline stations (7%), Building material & garden equipment dealers (6%), Health & personal care stores (5%), Clothing & clothing accessories stores (3%), Miscellaneous store retailers (2%), Furniture & home furnishings stores (2%), Sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument & book stores (1%), and Electronics & appliance stores (1%).
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
1.20 -0.50 19.30 -14.40 1992 - 2026 percent Monthly
Current Prices, SA

News Stream
US Retail Sales Top Expectations
Retail sales in the US increased 1.2% month-over-month in August 2026, the most in five months, following a revised 0.5% fall in July which was the first decline since October 2025, and compared to forecasts of a 0.8% gain. Sales at gasoline stations recorded the biggest increase (3.1%), followed by nonstore retailers (2.6%); miscellaneous store retailers (1.9%); electronics & appliance stores (1.6%); food services & drinking places (1.2%); sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument & book stores (1.2%); furniture (0.9%); clothing (0.7%); general merchandise stores (0.7%); motor vehicles && parts (0.6%); and food & beverages stores (0.4%). In contrast, sales declined at building material & garden equipment stores (-0.2%). The data is not adjusted for inflation. Sales excluding food services, auto dealers, building materials stores and gasoline stations, which are used to calculate GDP, jumped 1.4%, much higher than forecasts of 0.4%.
2026-09-16
US Retail Sales Unexpectedly Fall
US retail sales fell 0.6% month-on-month in July 2026, sharply missing expectations for a 0.1% rise and reversing June’s 0.2% gain. It was the first decline since October 2025 and the biggest since May last year, driven by weaker sales at nonstore retailers (-2.2%), likely reflecting spending pulled forward into June after Amazon moved its Prime Day event from July to June this year. Also, sales fell at motor vehicle & parts dealers (-1.8%), gasoline stations (-0.9%) and electronics & appliance stores (-0.5%). The data is not adjusted for inflation. Excluding autos and gasoline, sales fell 0.2%. Increases were seen in sales at clothing & clothing accessories stores (1.9%), health & personal care stores (0.7%), building material & garden eq. & supplies dealers (0.3%), and furniture & home furn. stores (0.3%). Sales excluding food services, auto dealers, building materials stores and gasoline stations, which are used to calculate GDP, were down 0.4%, the most since the start of 2025.
2026-08-14
US Retail Sales Slow as Expected
Retail sales in the US rose 0.2% mom in June 2026, following an upwardly revised 1% rise in May and in line with expectations. It marked the smallest increase in five months, as lower gasoline prices weighed on receipts at gas stations while consumer spending remained resilient in general. The data is not adjusted for inflation. Excluding gasoline, retail sales rose 0.7%. Increases were seen in sales at motor vehicle & part dealers (1.9%), nonstore retailers (1.9%), sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument (1.3%), electronics & appliances (0.8%), building materials (0.1%), general merchandise stores (0.1%) and food & drinking places (0.1%). In contrast, sales flattened at furniture stores and declined 5.3% at gasoline stations. Other decreases were also seen at health (-0.8%), miscellaneous (-0.3%) and food & beverages (-0.2%). Meanwhile, sales excluding food services, auto dealers, building materials stores and gasoline stations, which are used to calculate GDP, were up 0.5%.
2026-07-16