US retail sales rise more than expected
By Benjamin Chiou
Date: Wednesday 16 Sep 2026
(Sharecast News) - Retail sales across the United States rose by the most in five months in August, according to data from the Census Bureau on Wednesday, more than offsetting the previous month's decline.
Retail and food services sales totalled $774bn last month, up 1.2% from July when sales fell 0.5%, government data showed.
This was 6.0% higher than August 2025 and the strongest growth rate seen since March, coming in comfortably ahead of the 0.8% increase expected by analysts.
Excluding motor vehicles and parts, sales increased 1.4% on the month, while sales excluding both autos and petrol stations rose 1.2%.
Among the major categories, petrol-station sales jumped 3.1%, while non-store retailers, which include online sellers, saw sales rise 2.6%. Electronics and appliance stores recorded a 1.6% increase, while spending at food services and drinking places was up 1.2%.
Motor vehicle and parts dealers saw sales increase 0.6%, while clothing-store sales rose 0.7%.
Building-material and garden-equipment sales edged down 0.2%, while department-store sales fell 0.8%.
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