Advance Monthly Retail and Food Services Survey (44X72) · Retail trade and food services, seasonally adjusted
How much do US stores and restaurants sell in a month?
The amount of retail and food services sales was $745.0 billion in the month ended , up 6.3% from a year earlier.
Retail and food services sales, seasonally adjusted, each month
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to , to , to .
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to .
Retail and food services sales, 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 .
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 | |||||
| Retail and food services sales | $745.0 billion | $739.3 billion | $700.9 billion | $610.2 billion | $453.2 billion |
| Change over a year | +6.3% | +5.6% | +3.7% | +12.7% | +3.1% |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
Observed .
Right now
The amount of retail and food services sales was $745.0 billion in September 2026, the highest since our record begins in January 1992.
Over a year it is up 6.3% (ours).
ChangeOurs
| Period | Then | Change |
|---|---|---|
| One month | $739.3 billion in | +0.8% |
| Three months | $732.9 billion in | +1.7% |
| Twelve months | $700.9 billion in | +6.3% |
| Five years | $610.2 billion in | +22.1% |
| Ten years | $453.2 billion in | +64.4% |
In historyOurs
The amount of retail and food services sales of $745.0 billion in was higher than in 416 of the 416 other months since , the same in 0 and lower in 0.
Highest since : $745.0 billion in . Lowest since : $158.6 billion in .
AverageOurs
Average since : $387.17 billion (ours, a plain mean of the 417 months).
ComparedOurs
Over a year the amount of retail and food services sales is up 6.3%, which ranks 8 of the 17 rows of the table, where 1 is the largest change.
The table sets the amount of retail and food services sales beside the lines of the retail and food services sales page, by the change over a year in each one's newest month.
Understanding the amount of retail and food services sales
Where it stands today
The amount of retail and food services sales was $745.0 billion in September 2026.
What does the amount of retail and food services sales measure?
Retail and food services sales are the receipts of US stores, restaurants and bars, and of businesses that sell to households without a store, in a month. The Census Bureau estimates them from a monthly survey of firms and publishes an advance estimate each month. The Census Bureau adjusts the values for seasonal variation and for differences in holidays and trading days, but not for changes in prices: they are in dollars of the month they were spent.
Read more
What 500metrics adds: the change over one month, three months, a year and five years, the highest and lowest value since the series begins, and how the change over a year compares with the other lines of the retail and food services sales page.
The numbers behind the chart
What was the amount of retail and food services sales in each month?The last ten years, 120 months, newest first; the chart and the file have every month since Jan 1992
| Month | Value | Change over a year |
|---|---|---|
| $745.0 billion | +6.3% | |
| $739.3 billion | +5.6% | |
| $729.9 billion | +4.5% | |
| $732.9 billion | +5.9% | |
| $731.4 billion | +6.7% | |
| $723.9 billion | +4.1% | |
| $719.7 billion | +3.6% | |
| $708.0 billion | +3.5% | |
| $701.9 billion | +2.2% | |
| $706.3 billion | +2.1% | |
| $705.5 billion | +2.9% | |
| $700.8 billion | +2.8% | |
| $700.9 billion | +3.7% | |
| $700.4 billion | +4.4% | |
| $698.3 billion | +3.7% | |
| $691.9 billion | +3.9% | |
| $685.5 billion | +2.7% | |
| $695.5 billion | +4.6% | |
| $694.8 billion | +4.6% | |
| $683.8 billion | +2.9% | |
| $687.1 billion | +4.0% | |
| $691.8 billion | +3.7% | |
| $685.7 billion | +2.9% | |
| $681.8 billion | +2.1% |
Show 96 more rows
| Month | Value | Change over a year |
|---|---|---|
| $676.0 billion | +0.7% | |
| $670.7 billion | +0.5% | |
| $673.7 billion | +1.5% | |
| $666.0 billion | +0.2% | |
| $667.7 billion | +0.8% | |
| $664.9 billion | +0.9% | |
| $664.3 billion | +1.4% | |
| $664.6 billion | 0.0% | |
| $660.6 billion | −2.1% | |
| $667.0 billion | +2.9% | |
| $666.4 billion | +1.5% | |
| $667.8 billion | +0.1% | |
| $671.1 billion | +1.5% | |
| $667.6 billion | +0.7% | |
| $663.4 billion | +0.6% | |
| $664.5 billion | −0.5% | |
| $662.3 billion | +0.1% | |
| $659.0 billion | −0.4% | |
| $655.1 billion | +0.4% | |
| $664.7 billion | +3.7% | |
| $674.6 billion | +6.4% | |
| $648.3 billion | +4.3% | |
| $656.4 billion | +4.9% | |
| $666.9 billion | +7.7% | |
| $661.1 billion | +8.3% | |
| $663.0 billion | +9.5% | |
| $659.8 billion | +9.6% | |
| $668.0 billion | +9.2% | |
| $661.3 billion | +9.2% | |
| $661.5 billion | +8.6% | |
| $652.7 billion | +8.1% | |
| $640.8 billion | +17.5% | |
| $634.1 billion | +13.3% | |
| $621.7 billion | +15.3% | |
| $626.0 billion | +17.1% | |
| $619.0 billion | +14.7% | |
| $610.2 billion | +12.7% | |
| $605.4 billion | +14.0% | |
| $602.0 billion | +14.2% | |
| $611.7 billion | +17.9% | |
| $605.6 billion | +26.1% | |
| $609.2 billion | +51.5% | |
| $603.6 billion | +28.8% | |
| $545.4 billion | +5.7% | |
| $559.7 billion | +8.6% | |
| $539.4 billion | +4.5% | |
| $534.5 billion | +3.9% | |
| $539.5 billion | +5.6% | |
| $541.2 billion | +6.2% | |
| $531.0 billion | +3.5% | |
| $526.9 billion | +3.4% | |
| $519.0 billion | +2.6% | |
| $480.3 billion | −5.0% | |
| $402.2 billion | −19.5% | |
| $468.6 billion | −6.2% | |
| $515.8 billion | +4.8% | |
| $515.4 billion | +5.0% | |
| $516.3 billion | +5.4% | |
| $514.6 billion | +3.0% | |
| $510.9 billion | +2.9% | |
| $509.5 billion | +3.6% | |
| $513.2 billion | +3.9% | |
| $509.4 billion | +3.2% | |
| $505.7 billion | +3.1% | |
| $505.4 billion | +2.7% | |
| $499.6 billion | +3.2% | |
| $499.6 billion | +3.1% | |
| $492.3 billion | +1.7% | |
| $490.8 billion | +2.0% | |
| $489.9 billion | +1.3% | |
| $499.5 billion | +3.8% | |
| $496.6 billion | +4.3% | |
| $491.7 billion | +3.4% | |
| $493.8 billion | +6.0% | |
| $493.4 billion | +6.1% | |
| $490.5 billion | +5.4% | |
| $492.2 billion | +6.4% | |
| $484.3 billion | +4.1% | |
| $484.4 billion | +4.5% | |
| $484.2 billion | +4.3% | |
| $481.2 billion | +3.7% | |
| $483.6 billion | +5.2% | |
| $481.1 billion | +6.0% | |
| $475.9 billion | +4.9% | |
| $475.7 billion | +5.0% | |
| $466.0 billion | +3.6% | |
| $465.2 billion | +3.4% | |
| $465.2 billion | +3.3% | |
| $462.8 billion | +3.9% | |
| $465.3 billion | +4.7% | |
| $463.6 billion | +4.9% | |
| $464.3 billion | +4.8% | |
| $464.2 billion | +5.7% | |
| $459.6 billion | +3.9% | |
| $453.7 billion | +3.0% | |
| $453.9 billion | +3.4% |
How does it compare with the lines of the retail and food services sales page?Ranked by the change over a year
| Series | Month | Value | Change over a year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline stations | $68.0 billion | +28.1% | 1 | |
| Miscellaneous stores | $15.8 billion | +10.9% | 2 | |
| Sporting goods, hobby, music, books | $8.7 billion | +9.6% | 3 | |
| Electronics and appliances | $7.9 billion | +9.4% | 4 | |
| Nonstore retailers | $124.3 billion | +8.2% | 5 | |
| Without motor vehicles | $605.2 billion | +7.2% | 6 | |
| Food services and drinking places | $92.9 billion | +7.0% | 7 | |
| Retail and food services (this page) | $745.0 billion | +6.3% | 8 | |
| Clothing and accessories | $26.5 billion | +5.0% | 9 | |
| Without motor vehicles and gas | $537.2 billion | +5.0% | 9 | |
| Furniture and home furnishings | $10.7 billion | +4.9% | 11 | |
| Building materials and garden | $44.1 billion | +4.5% | 12 | |
| Without gasoline stations | $677.0 billion | +4.5% | 12 | |
| General merchandise stores | $81.8 billion | +4.2% | 14 | |
| Motor vehicle and parts dealers | $139.8 billion | +2.5% | 15 | |
| Food and beverage stores | $85.1 billion | +0.9% | 16 | |
| Health and personal care | $39.5 billion | −1.2% | 17 |
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
- The values come from the Census Bureau's monthly sample surveys of retail and food services firms, so each carries sampling error; the Census Bureau publishes its size beside each value.
- The newest month is an advance estimate. The Census Bureau revises it in later releases, and revises earlier months again in its annual benchmark.
- The values are in dollars of the month, not adjusted for changes in prices. A kind of business is the Census Bureau's grouping of stores by what they mainly sell: a store sells things of other kinds too, and sales over the internet appear under nonstore retailers or under the store's own kind according to the business that makes them.
- The changes, the ranks and the highest and lowest values are ours, worked out from the values the Census Bureau publishes; a change is in percent.
- This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Observed . Checked .
How to cite this
U.S. Census Bureau, Economic Indicators. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau., Retail trade and food services, seasonally adjusted, through September 2026. Compiled by 500metrics, "How much do US stores and restaurants sell in a month?", https://500metrics.com/retail-sales/total.
Can the data be downloaded?retail-sales-total.csv
Download the full history as CSV: 417 rows, to , 8,375 bytes.
Our text and compilation: CC BY 4.0.
Recession dates from the National Bureau of Economic Research.
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