September retail sales rise 0.8% to $745 billion; August revised up to 1.3% gain

U.S. retail and food services sales rose 0.8% in September to a seasonally adjusted $745.0 billion, the Census Bureau said Thursday in its advance report.

The monthly gain followed a revised 1.3% increase in August, which had initially been reported as 1.1%. September sales were up 6.3% from a year earlier. For the July through September period, sales rose 5.5% from the same stretch a year ago.

The figures are adjusted for seasonal variation and trading-day differences but not for price changes. The 90% confidence interval around the September monthly change was ±0.4 percentage points.

Excluding motor vehicle and parts dealers, sales rose to about $605.2 billion in September from $599.8 billion in August. Sales excluding autos and gasoline stations edged up to about $537.2 billion from $535.8 billion.

The October advance retail sales report is scheduled for Nov. 17 at 8:30 a.m. ET.

By the numbers

• September retail and food services sales: $745.0 billion, +0.8% month over month
• August (revised): $739.3 billion, +1.3% (was +1.1%)
• Year over year: +6.3%
• July–September vs. year earlier: +5.5%
• Ex-autos (adjusted): about $605.2 billion in September vs. $599.8 billion in August

Sources

1. U.S. Census Bureau, “Advance Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services, September 2026,” release CB26-165, Oct. 15, 2026, 8:30 a.m. ET.

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