Current Employment Statistics (CES4200000001) · Retail trade, seasonally adjusted
How many jobs are there in retail trade?
The number of jobs in retail trade was 15,480 thousand in the month ended , up 0.2% from a year earlier (preliminary).
Jobs in retail trade, in thousands, seasonally adjusted, each month
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to .
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to .
Jobs in retail trade, in thousands, change from a year earlier, each month (ours)
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to .
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to .
Each point is one month of the series as the source publishes it, or a change worked out from those values (ours). The US recessions are shaded. Pointing at the chart shows the month and the value.
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Inspect and compare dates
The newest month beside the one before it and the nearest ones a year, five and ten years earlier. The last ten years are in the table under "The numbers behind the chart".
| Measure | Latest | The month before | A year earlier | Five years earlier | Ten years earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | |||||
| Jobs in retail trade, in thousands | 15,480 thousand | 15,474 thousand | 15,453 thousand | 15,280 thousand | 15,829 thousand |
| Change over a year | +0.2% | +0.2% | 0.0% | +2.0% | +1.6% |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
Observed .
Right now
The number of jobs in retail trade was 15,480 thousand in September 2026, the highest since July 2024.
Over a year it is up 0.2% (ours). The source marks this value preliminary.
ChangeOurs
| Period | Then | Change |
|---|---|---|
| One month | 15,474 thousand in | 0.0% |
| Three months | 15,474 thousand in | 0.0% |
| Twelve months | 15,453 thousand in | +0.2% |
| Five years | 15,280 thousand in | +1.3% |
| Ten years | 15,829 thousand in | −2.2% |
In historyOurs
The number of jobs in retail trade of 15,480 thousand in was higher than in 953 of the 1,052 other months since , the same in 1 and lower in 98.
Highest since : 15,873 thousand in . Lowest since : 3,108 thousand in .
AverageOurs
Average since : 10,276.4 thousand (ours, a plain mean of the 1,053 months).
ComparedOurs
Over a year the number of jobs in retail trade is up 0.2%, which ranks 21 of the 35 rows of the table, where 1 is the largest change.
The table sets the number of jobs in retail trade beside the industries on the jobs by industry page, by the change over a year in each one's newest month.
Inside itOurs
Of the 9 industries inside retail trade that BLS reports, the change over a year was largest for sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, book, and miscellaneous retailers, up 3.1%, and smallest for furniture, home furnishings, electronics, and appliance retailers, down 2.5% (ours).
Openings and turnoverJob Openings and Labor Turnover Survey
In August 2026 the survey counted, for retail trade, 761 thousand job openings, 667 thousand hires, 464 thousand quits and 159 thousand layoffs and discharges.
Over a year the counts are job openings up 25.0%, hires up 18.7%, quits up 23.4% and layoffs and discharges up 2.6% (ours).
Job openings, hires, quits and layoffs in retail trade
- Job openings761438 to 1,467
- Hires667546 to 1,003
- Quits464273 to 732
- Layoffs and discharges15993 to 1,405
Each row is one measure of the second survey for retail trade, in thousands over the last ten years, one month to a point, on one scale, with its newest value and its range printed beside it. Pointing at the chart shows the month and the value.
Observed .
Understanding the number of jobs in retail trade
Where it stands today
The number of jobs in retail trade was 15,480 thousand in September 2026.
What does the number of jobs in retail trade measure?
Retail trade covers the stores and other businesses that sell goods to the public, from car dealers and grocery stores to department stores and gasoline stations.
Read more
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) counts these jobs each month in a survey of employers, the Current Employment Statistics, and publishes them in the Employment Situation report at the start of the next month. The count is all employees on payrolls, in thousands, seasonally adjusted.
What 500metrics adds: the change over one month, three months, a year and five years, the highest and lowest value since the series begins, how the change over a year ranks among the lines of the jobs by industry page, the industries inside it with their own change over a year. For this industry it also shows the job openings, hires, quits and layoffs from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), a second BLS survey, beside the count of jobs.
The numbers behind the chart
What was the number of jobs in retail trade in each month?The last ten years, 120 months, newest first; the chart and the file have every month since Jan 1939
| Month | Value | Change over a year |
|---|---|---|
| 15,480 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 15,474 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 15,479 thousand | +0.3% | |
| 15,474 thousand | +0.3% | |
| 15,464 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 15,459 thousand | 0.0% | |
| 15,436 thousand | −0.1% | |
| 15,426 thousand | −0.1% | |
| 15,426 thousand | −0.2% | |
| 15,414 thousand | −0.3% | |
| 15,437 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 15,438 thousand | −0.1% | |
| 15,453 thousand | 0.0% | |
| 15,440 thousand | −0.1% | |
| 15,430 thousand | −0.3% | |
| 15,426 thousand | −0.5% | |
| 15,440 thousand | −0.6% | |
| 15,462 thousand | −0.4% | |
| 15,458 thousand | −0.5% | |
| 15,442 thousand | −0.6% | |
| 15,459 thousand | −0.4% | |
| 15,460 thousand | −0.6% | |
| 15,410 thousand | −0.7% | |
| 15,452 thousand | −0.6% |
Show 96 more rows
| Month | Value | Change over a year |
|---|---|---|
| 15,457 thousand | −0.5% | |
| 15,458 thousand | −0.5% | |
| 15,481 thousand | −0.4% | |
| 15,500 thousand | −0.2% | |
| 15,536 thousand | −0.1% | |
| 15,531 thousand | −0.2% | |
| 15,529 thousand | −0.2% | |
| 15,529 thousand | −0.5% | |
| 15,524 thousand | −0.2% | |
| 15,551 thousand | +0.1% | |
| 15,511 thousand | −0.1% | |
| 15,544 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 15,531 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 15,531 thousand | +0.1% | |
| 15,540 thousand | +0.3% | |
| 15,533 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 15,556 thousand | +0.9% | |
| 15,556 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 15,563 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 15,603 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 15,551 thousand | +0.8% | |
| 15,534 thousand | +0.7% | |
| 15,530 thousand | +0.8% | |
| 15,512 thousand | +1.1% | |
| 15,498 thousand | +1.4% | |
| 15,522 thousand | +2.0% | |
| 15,491 thousand | +1.7% | |
| 15,465 thousand | +1.4% | |
| 15,419 thousand | +1.5% | |
| 15,488 thousand | +2.0% | |
| 15,537 thousand | +2.0% | |
| 15,537 thousand | +2.3% | |
| 15,429 thousand | +1.7% | |
| 15,422 thousand | +1.8% | |
| 15,407 thousand | +1.9% | |
| 15,348 thousand | +1.7% | |
| 15,280 thousand | +2.0% | |
| 15,216 thousand | +1.8% | |
| 15,238 thousand | +3.8% | |
| 15,245 thousand | +5.5% | |
| 15,192 thousand | +11.4% | |
| 15,189 thousand | +14.7% | |
| 15,233 thousand | −1.3% | |
| 15,189 thousand | −2.1% | |
| 15,166 thousand | −2.2% | |
| 15,144 thousand | −2.6% | |
| 15,127 thousand | −2.5% | |
| 15,090 thousand | −2.8% | |
| 14,981 thousand | −3.5% | |
| 14,943 thousand | −3.7% | |
| 14,676 thousand | −5.5% | |
| 14,452 thousand | −7.0% | |
| 13,631 thousand | −12.4% | |
| 13,247 thousand | −14.9% | |
| 15,433 thousand | −0.9% | |
| 15,519 thousand | −0.4% | |
| 15,513 thousand | −0.7% | |
| 15,550 thousand | −0.5% | |
| 15,510 thousand | −1.1% | |
| 15,527 thousand | −0.7% | |
| 15,527 thousand | −1.0% | |
| 15,517 thousand | −1.3% | |
| 15,533 thousand | −1.2% | |
| 15,533 thousand | −1.3% | |
| 15,554 thousand | −1.5% | |
| 15,572 thousand | −1.3% | |
| 15,574 thousand | −1.2% | |
| 15,587 thousand | −1.1% | |
| 15,617 thousand | −0.6% | |
| 15,635 thousand | −0.7% | |
| 15,686 thousand | −0.6% | |
| 15,642 thousand | −0.7% | |
| 15,685 thousand | −0.5% | |
| 15,725 thousand | −0.2% | |
| 15,723 thousand | −0.3% | |
| 15,740 thousand | −0.2% | |
| 15,786 thousand | 0.0% | |
| 15,771 thousand | −0.2% | |
| 15,771 thousand | −0.3% | |
| 15,753 thousand | −0.6% | |
| 15,705 thousand | −1.1% | |
| 15,741 thousand | −0.5% | |
| 15,782 thousand | 0.0% | |
| 15,749 thousand | −0.5% | |
| 15,756 thousand | −0.5% | |
| 15,763 thousand | −0.4% | |
| 15,769 thousand | −0.2% | |
| 15,778 thousand | −0.1% | |
| 15,786 thousand | +0.1% | |
| 15,804 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 15,822 thousand | +0.3% | |
| 15,851 thousand | +0.9% | |
| 15,873 thousand | +1.3% | |
| 15,819 thousand | +1.2% | |
| 15,786 thousand | +1.0% | |
| 15,831 thousand | +1.4% |
How does it compare with the industries on the jobs by industry page?Ranked by the change over a year
| Series | Month | Value | Change over a year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 23,959 thousand | +2.2% | 1 | |
| Private education and health | 28,005 thousand | +1.9% | 2 | |
| Utilities | 612 thousand | +1.7% | 3 | |
| Construction | 8,364 thousand | +1.3% | 4 | |
| Durable goods | 7,898 thousand | +1.1% | 5 | |
| Professional, scientific, technical | 10,844 thousand | +0.8% | 6 | |
| Accommodation and food services | 14,310 thousand | +0.7% | 7 | |
| Goods-producing | 21,623 thousand | +0.7% | 7 | |
| Other services | 6,039 thousand | +0.6% | 9 | |
| Professional and business services | 22,482 thousand | +0.6% | 9 | |
| Administrative, support, waste | 9,019 thousand | +0.5% | 11 | |
| Private service-providing | 114,094 thousand | +0.5% | 11 | |
| Total private | 135,717 thousand | +0.5% | 11 | |
| Leisure and hospitality | 16,969 thousand | +0.4% | 14 | |
| Wholesale trade | 6,078 thousand | +0.4% | 14 | |
| Local government | 15,173 thousand | +0.3% | 16 | |
| Manufacturing | 12,652 thousand | +0.3% | 16 | |
| Mining and logging | 607 thousand | +0.3% | 16 | |
| Service-providing | 137,421 thousand | +0.3% | 16 | |
| Total nonfarm | 159,044 thousand | +0.3% | 16 | |
| Retail trade (this page) | 15,480 thousand | +0.2% | 21 | |
| Trade, transportation, utilities | 28,778 thousand | +0.2% | 21 | |
| Mining, oil and gas extraction | 567 thousand | +0.1% | 23 | |
| Private education | 4,046 thousand | −0.1% | 24 | |
| Transportation and warehousing | 6,609 thousand | −0.1% | 24 | |
| Management of companies | 2,620 thousand | −0.3% | 26 | |
| State government | 5,472 thousand | −0.5% | 27 | |
| Real estate, rental, leasing | 2,438 thousand | −0.6% | 28 | |
| Government | 23,327 thousand | −0.9% | 29 | |
| Nondurable goods | 4,754 thousand | −0.9% | 29 | |
| Financial activities | 9,082 thousand | −1.2% | 31 | |
| Finance and insurance | 6,645 thousand | −1.4% | 32 | |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 2,659 thousand | −1.6% | 33 | |
| Information | 2,739 thousand | −4.2% | 34 | |
| Federal government | 2,682 thousand | −8.0% | 35 |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
Which industries are inside retail trade?Newest month of each industry
| Industry | Month | Count | Share | Change over a year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motor vehicle and parts dealers | 2,054 thousand | 13.3% | +0.3% | 3 | |
| Building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers | 1,360 thousand | 8.8% | −0.5% | 6 | |
| Food and beverage retailers | 3,248 thousand | 21.0% | −0.5% | 6 | |
| Furniture, home furnishings, electronics, and appliance retailers | 752 thousand | 4.9% | −2.5% | 9 | |
| General merchandise retailers | 3,257 thousand | 21.0% | +0.3% | 3 | |
| Health and personal care retailers | 1,048 thousand | 6.8% | −0.8% | 8 | |
| Gasoline stations and fuel dealers | 1,065 thousand | 6.9% | +1.2% | 2 | |
| Clothing, clothing accessories, shoe, and jewelry retailers | 1,153 thousand | 7.4% | +0.2% | 5 | |
| Sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, book, and miscellaneous retailers | 1,543 thousand | 10.0% | +3.1% | 1 |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
How many job openings, hires, quits and layoffs were there in retail trade?Newest month of each measure
| Measure | Month | Count | Rate | Change over a year | Where the count stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Job openings (preliminary) | 761 thousand | 4.7% | +25.0% | the highest since May 2023 | |
| Hires (preliminary) | 667 thousand | 4.3% | +18.7% | the highest since March 2026 | |
| Quits (preliminary) | 464 thousand | 3.0% | +23.4% | the lowest since May 2026 | |
| Layoffs and discharges (preliminary) | 159 thousand | 1.0% | +2.6% | the highest since March 2026 |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
What do these figures leave out, and how are they cited?Limits, dates and how to cite
What this number cannot tell you
- BLS counts jobs, not people: a person with two jobs on two payrolls is counted twice. Farm jobs, the self-employed, unpaid family workers, private household workers and members of the military are not counted.
- The count comes from a survey of employers, so each month's value carries sampling error. BLS revises each month twice in the two months after it is first published, and each February it benchmarks the series to a full count of jobs from unemployment insurance tax records and revises earlier values, so past values on this page can change.
- BLS publishes this series from 1939.
- The job openings, hires, quits and layoffs come from JOLTS, a separate survey of employers that BLS holds from December 2000 and publishes about a month after the payroll counts, so its newest month can be an earlier month than the count of jobs.
- The count is shown in whole thousands, but BLS publishes this series to one decimal, so the changes, the ranks and the highest and lowest values, which are ours and worked out from the values as BLS publishes them, can differ in their last place from those worked out from the values as shown.
- The changes, the ranks and the highest and lowest values are ours, worked out from the values BLS publishes; a change is in percent.
Observed . Checked .
Observed .
How to cite this
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics, Retail trade, seasonally adjusted, through September 2026, with U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, through August 2026. Compiled by 500metrics, "How many jobs are there in retail trade?", https://500metrics.com/jobs-by-industry/retail-trade.
Can the data be downloaded?jobs-by-industry-retail-trade.csv
Download the full history as CSV: 1,053 rows, to , 20,813 bytes.
Our text and compilation: CC BY 4.0.
Recession dates from the National Bureau of Economic Research.
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