Sales · Friday, October 16, 2026
Shoppers spent $745 billion in September, up 0.8 percent
The File desk · Oct 16, 2026, 11:00 AM UTC
Status
Confirmed from the Census Bureau’s advance retail report CB26-165, for release at 8:30 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. The figures are not adjusted for price changes.
- Confirmed
September retail and food-service sales were $745.0 billion, up 0.8 percent from August, plus or minus 0.4 percent, and up 6.3 percent from September 2025, plus or minus 0.5 percent.
- Confirmed
August was revised to $739.3 billion, up 1.3 percent. The bureau had previously said August was up 1.1 percent.
- Confirmed
The detailed table shows gasoline stations up 6.4 percent in the month and 28.1 percent from a year earlier, and restaurants and bars up 1.1 percent in the month and 7.0 percent from a year earlier.
The Census Bureau said shops, online sellers, and restaurants took in $745.0 billion in September, up 0.8 percent from August and 6.3 percent from a year earlier. The monthly figure comes with a margin of plus or minus 0.4 percent. Gasoline stations rose 6.4 percent in the month. Restaurants and bars rose 1.1 percent. These sales are not adjusted for higher prices.
The release is CB26-165, for 8:30 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. The numbers are adjusted for season and for the number of selling days. They are not adjusted for price changes, so a jump at the gas pump shows up as more sales even if drivers bought the same gallons.
August was revised to $739.3 billion, up 1.3 percent from July, plus or minus 0.1 percent. The prior estimate was up 1.1 percent, plus or minus 0.4 percent. Sales from July through September were up 5.5 percent from the same three months a year earlier, plus or minus 0.5 percent.
The detailed percent-change table shows sales excluding car dealers up 0.9 percent in the month and 7.2 percent from a year earlier. Sales excluding gas stations were up 0.2 percent in the month and 4.5 percent over the year. Sales excluding both were up 0.2 percent in the month and 5.0 percent over the year. Car and parts dealers were up 0.2 percent in the month and 2.5 percent over the year.
Gasoline stations were up 6.4 percent from August and 28.1 percent from September 2025. Food services and drinking places — restaurants and bars — were up 1.1 percent in the month and 7.0 percent over the year.
The next advance retail report is Nov. 17, 2026. The October report’s release line says 8:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.
What is still unknown or disputed
- The headline margins are the ones in the first paragraph of the release. The category percent changes are from Table 2. This story does not attach a separate margin to each category line.
- Because the figures are not adjusted for prices, they are not a measure of how many goods people bought.
Primary sources
Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.
Source 1
Advance Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services, September 2026 (CB26-165)
U.S. Census Bureau · October 15, 2026
Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for September 2026, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $745.0 billion, up 0.8 percent (±0.4 percent) from the previous month, and up 6.3 percent (±0.5 percent) from September 2025. August was revised to $739.3 billion, up 1.3 percent. Table 2 shows gasoline stations up 6.4 percent in the month and food services and drinking places up 1.1 percent.
https://www.census.gov/retail/marts/www/marts_current.pdf