U.S. retail sales rise 0.77% in September, with a smaller gain excluding autos and gas
U.S. retail and food services sales rose 0.77% in September 2026 to $745.021 billion, up 6.29% from a year earlier. Sales excluding motor vehicle and parts dealers and gasoline stations increased 0.25% month over month.
U.S. retail and food services sales reached $745.021 billion in September 2026, rising 0.77% from August and 6.29% from a year earlier, according to current revised U.S. Census Bureau estimates. The increase extended August’s recovery from July’s decline, although the monthly dollar gain was smaller than in August. The figures are seasonally adjusted and measure nominal sales.
The comparison series excluding motor vehicle and parts dealers and gasoline stations rose 0.25% in September to $537.167 billion, with sales 5.02% above their year-earlier level. That measure still includes food services. Its weaker monthly growth shows that the headline increase was not matched across the narrower retail and food services aggregate.
Both measures reached their highest levels in the April–September 2026 period. Total sales had risen from $723.921 billion in April to $732.898 billion in June before slipping in July. September’s result therefore places the headline above its earlier high within that window, rather than merely recovering the ground lost during the July setback.
The narrower series followed the same broad path: increases through June, a July decline and renewed gains in August and September. Its September increase was also smaller in dollar terms than August’s. The shared direction supports a picture of continuing nominal sales expansion, while the slower latest gains temper the signal of strengthening momentum.
Demand is advancing, but unevenly
The clearest economic signal is continued growth in retail spending rather than a broad acceleration. The positive reading excluding autos and gasoline shows that the monthly advance extended beyond those excluded businesses. However, its slower pace indicates uneven strength: the larger headline gain should not be treated as representative of every part of household demand.
Higher sales receipts can support retailers’ revenues and, if sustained, encourage replenishment of inventories. But these figures are not adjusted for price changes, so they cannot establish an equivalent increase in purchasing-power-adjusted activity. The results point to firmer nominal demand, with the strength of the underlying volume response remaining uncertain.
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