Retail sales reached $69.5 billion in September, an increase of 5.1% compared with the same month one year earlier. Higher sales were reported in all 18 commodity classes.
In September, the largest gain in dollar terms came from motor vehicle sales, which posted a year-over-year increase of 6.0%. The largest gain within this commodity class stemmed from higher sales of used motor vehicles (+16.7%), which more than offset lower sales of new motor vehicles (-0.8%).
Higher sales of food and beverages (+5.4%) were reported in September. The increase in this commodity class was driven by higher sales of fresh food (+6.0%). The largest increases in dollar terms came from sales of packaged food dry goods (+7.4%), fresh meat and poultry (+7.8%) and fresh fruit and vegetables (+6.2%).
Retail sales of clothing grew 9.4% in September. In dollar terms, the largest gain within this commodity class was for sales of women's clothing (+9.9%), followed by sales of men's clothing (+11.2%). Sales of footwear rose 3.9% in September compared with the same month in 2024, with athletic footwear sales (+10.7%) leading the gains.
The advance estimate provided by the Monthly Retail Trade Survey suggests that unadjusted total retail sales in October increased by 2.6%. Because of its preliminary nature, this figure will be revised.
Table 1: Sales by type of commodity, all retail stores - Seasonally unadjusted
Note to readers
The Retail Commodity Survey collects national-level retail sales data, by commodity, from the same businesses surveyed in the Monthly Retail Trade Survey. No data have been seasonally adjusted. All percentage changes are year over year.
New classification standard
As of the January 2023 reference period, Retail Commodity Survey figures are based on the 2022 North American Product Classification System and the North American Industry Classification System structures. These new classification structures have introduced new commodities, updated commodity definitions and broadened the industry scope for the estimates of the Retail Commodity Survey.
Find more statistics on retail trade.
Contact information
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