Retail sales rose 1.1% in August after a 0.5% decline in July
Sales excluding autos rose 1.3% in August, also reversing a July decline of 0.2%, the Census Bureau reported.
Macro Bullseye · · Updated
Retail sales rose 1.1% in August from July, the Census Bureau reported. That reversed a 0.5% decline in July. A year earlier, in August 2025, sales had risen 0.3%.
The numbers
Aug 2026 data · released Wed, Sep 16
- Retail sales, change from the prior month
- +1.1%Jul 2026: −0.5%
- Retail sales excluding autos, change from the prior month
- +1.3%Jul 2026: −0.2%
View the data as a table
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | +1.1% |
| Jul 2026 | −0.5% |
| Jun 2026 | +0.2% |
| May 2026 | +1.0% |
| Apr 2026 | +0.6% |
| Mar 2026 | +1.7% |
| Feb 2026 | +0.9% |
| Jan 2026 | −0.6% |
| Dec 2025 | +0.1% |
| Nov 2025 | +0.7% |
| Oct 2025 | −0.1% |
| Sep 2025 | +0.2% |
| Aug 2025 | +0.3% |
| Jul 2025 | +0.9% |
| Jun 2025 | +0.9% |
| May 2025 | −1.4% |
| Apr 2025 | +0.1% |
| Mar 2025 | +1.6% |
| Feb 2025 | −0.5% |
| Jan 2025 | −0.7% |
| Dec 2024 | +0.9% |
| Nov 2024 | +0.6% |
| Oct 2024 | +0.9% |
| Sep 2024 | +0.8% |
Source: Census Bureau, via FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis). Revised figures replace earlier ones.Full release
Sales excluding autos rose 1.3% in August. They had fallen 0.2% in July and had risen 0.2% in August 2025. The figures measure monthly sales at US retailers and restaurants and are not adjusted for inflation.
Monthly changes have varied widely over the past year. Sales fell 0.6% in January, rose 0.9% in February, and rose 1.7% in March. They then rose 0.6% in April, 1.0% in May and 0.2% in June before the July decline.
The next report, covering September, is due Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 8:30 AM ET.
What it means for your money
- Retail sales give an early read on how households are spending. A rise in August suggests shoppers spent more than in July.
- The figures are not adjusted for inflation, so higher prices can account for part of any increase in sales. A rise in dollars spent does not always mean people bought more goods.
- Strong spending can keep pressure on prices, and faster price growth tends to keep interest rates higher. That can affect the cost of borrowing and the rates paid on savings.
Drafted by AI (Claude) from the official data and published only after an automatic check that every number in the text matches the figures above. Not investment advice. How we write these