US Retail Sales, August 2026 — Advance Estimate +1.2% to $773.9 Billion, Since Superseded by the September 28 Annual Revision
Census's September 16 advance estimate put August 2026 retail sales at $773.9 billion, up 1.2% (±0.4%). The release now says it is not the latest: revised estimates came out September 28.
The advance number — and the notice on top of it
The September 16 release put August retail and food services sales at $773.9 billion, up 1.2 percent (±0.4 percent) from July and 6.0 percent (±0.5 percent) above August 2025. Both intervals exclude zero.[1]
The same PDF now opens with a notice: monthly estimates were revised using historical corrections and annual survey results, "This report no longer contains the most up to date estimates", and "Revised not adjusted estimates and corresponding adjusted estimates were released on September 28, 2026". The August figures here are the advance estimates as published on September 16; this page has not read the revised series.[1][2]
July, revised
The release revised the June-to-July change from down 0.6 percent (±0.4 percent) to down 0.5 percent (±0.2 percent), with July sales of $764.5 billion in the September 16 release. A July drop followed by an August rise of 1.2 percent puts August above June's $768.6 billion.[1]
Underneath the total
From Table 1, sales excluding motor vehicles and parts rose about 1.4% from July, and about 1.2% excluding vehicles, parts and gasoline stations. Gasoline station sales were about 21.0% above August 2025 (this page's calculation from the advance seasonally adjusted figures).[1]
Verified facts
Each fact is labelled with its evidence typeEach fact in this section carries its evidence type — either cross-checked against independent sources, or confirmed from a single authoritative record.
Census's advance estimate of US retail and food services sales for August 2026 was $773.9 billion (seasonally adjusted, not adjusted for prices), up 1.2 percent (±0.4 percent) from July and up 6.0 percent (±0.5 percent) from August 2025.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
The June-to-July 2026 change was revised from down 0.6 percent (±0.4 percent) to down 0.5 percent (±0.2 percent); July sales were revised to $764.5 billion.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
The release carries a notice that monthly retail estimates were revised using historical corrections and the 2023 and 2024 Annual Integrated Economic Survey, that the report "no longer contains the most up to date estimates", and that revised estimates were released on September 28, 2026.[1][2] 1 source · authoritative record
The September 2026 advance report is scheduled for October 15, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. EDT.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
Statements and readings
Not counted as facts — each item shows what kind of statement it isFrom here on: statements not counted as facts — single-source reports, the issuing body’s own statements, and this page’s own readings, each labeled.
Excluding motor vehicles and parts, August sales were $631.6 billion versus $622.9 billion in July (about +1.4%); excluding motor vehicles, parts and gasoline stations, $569.3 billion versus $562.4 billion (about +1.2%). Gasoline station sales were about 3.1% above July and 21.0% above August 2025.[1] This page’s own calculation or reading · This page's calculation from Table 1 (advance, seasonally adjusted)
Timeline
What this page could not establish
These are questions this page tried to answer and could not. The gaps are left open rather than filled with a guess.- The revised (September 28) August and July figures
- Model
- claude-opus-5
- Time
- 10/05/2026, 09:40
- Body characters
- 1,175
- Sources
- 2 sources adopted
- Model
- ChatGPT (checked sources on the web)
- Time
- 10/05/2026, 10:00
- Verdict
- Passed
Show revision history (3)
| 10/05/2026, 09:00 | First authored (claude-opus-5) | Created |
| 10/05/2026 | First version. Read the August advance release in full, including the notice of revision and Table 1; quotations matched against the release text. | Updated |
| 10/05/2026 | Independent pre-publication review passed: numbers, quotations, calculations and the handling of the revision notice all matched. Clarified that the July figure is from the September 16 release. | Updated |
Frequently asked
How much did US retail sales rise in August 2026?
The advance estimate was +1.2% (±0.4%) from July to $773.9 billion. Census has since released annual revisions (September 28), so the latest figures may differ.[1][2]
Are the September 16 retail figures still current?
No. The release itself says it no longer contains the most up-to-date estimates; revised estimates were released on September 28, 2026.[1][2]
What happened to July retail sales?
The July change was revised from −0.6% to −0.5%, with sales of $764.5 billion.[1]
When is the next retail sales report?
The September 2026 advance report is scheduled for October 15, 2026.[1]
Official links
- Official U.S. Census Bureau — Retail Trade