12 indicators
U.S. retail sales by store type and vehicle sales
Monthly retail sales from the Census Bureau broken down by type of store, from car dealers and grocery stores to online sellers and restaurants, plus the online share of sales and new vehicle sales.
Latest: as of Sep 2026, retail sales had risen 6.3% from a year earlier.
Data retrieved from FRED®, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Snapshot taken Oct 27, 2026, 6:41 PM EDT.
Retail sales
6.3%
12-month change
$745.0B Sep 2026 · was 5.6% in Aug 2026
Retail sales measure what stores, online sellers, gas stations and restaurants take in each month, in current dollars. The advance estimate comes out about two weeks after the month ends and is revised later.
View chart →Retail sales excluding restaurants
6.2%
12-month change
$652.1B Sep 2026 · was 5.5% in Aug 2026
This is advance retail sales without food services and drinking places, covering stores, car dealers, gas stations and online sellers.
View chart →Retail sales excluding autos
7.2%
12-month change
$605.2B Sep 2026 · was 6.3% in Aug 2026
This leaves motor vehicle and parts dealers out of retail and food services sales, because car sales swing a lot from month to month.
View chart →Auto dealer sales
2.5%
12-month change
$139.8B Sep 2026 · was 2.3% in Aug 2026
This is monthly sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers, the largest single type of retailer by sales.
View chart →Online and nonstore sales
8.2%
12-month change
$124.3B Sep 2026 · was 7.8% in Aug 2026
Nonstore retailers sell online, by mail order, through vending machines or door to door. Online sellers make up most of this category.
View chart →E-commerce share of retail sales
17.1%
Percent
+0.1 pt Q2 2026 vs. Q1 2026
This is the share of total retail sales made online, from the Census Bureau's quarterly e-commerce report. It jumped in the second quarter of 2020.
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Restaurant and bar sales
7.0%
12-month change
$92.9B Sep 2026 · was 5.8% in Aug 2026
This is monthly sales at restaurants, bars and other food service places. It shows how much people are spending on eating out.
View chart →Grocery store sales
0.9%
12-month change
$77.2B Sep 2026 · was 0.3% in Aug 2026
This is monthly sales at grocery stores, which move with both food prices and how much people eat at home.
View chart →Gas station sales
28.1%
12-month change
$68.0B Sep 2026 · was 21.0% in Aug 2026
This is monthly sales at gasoline stations, including their convenience stores. It rises and falls mostly with gas prices.
View chart →Clothing store sales
5.0%
12-month change
$26.5B Sep 2026 · was 4.3% in Aug 2026
This is monthly sales at clothing and clothing accessories stores.
View chart →Building materials and garden sales
4.5%
12-month change
$44.1B Sep 2026 · was 5.4% in Aug 2026
This is monthly sales at building material, garden equipment and supply stores, such as home improvement centers. It tends to follow home sales and remodeling.
View chart →Vehicle sales
16.4M
Millions of units
-3.5% Sep 2026 vs. Aug 2026
This is total sales of new cars and light trucks in the U.S., at a seasonally adjusted annual rate. It is one of the first monthly readings on consumer demand for big-ticket items.
View chart →Not financial advice. Values are as published by each agency and may be revised.
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