General Merchandise Stores Sales (advance estimate; not seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly
This series is part of the dataset: Advance retail sales (U.S. Census)
Download Full Dataset (.xlsx)Latest updates. According to Census Bureau's advance estimates for the US economy (not adjusted for seasonality), sales at general merchandise stores stood at 79.40 USD billion in August 2025, compared to 76.28 in July 2025. This represents an increase of 4.09 percent.
Sample. There are 404 observations overall in the monthly time series shown in the figure above. The series covers the time span stretching from January 1992 to August 2025.
History. Here are a few simple statistics calculated on the whole sample: sales averaged 46.95 billion US dollars; they attained a maximum of 92.77 in December 2024; they reached a trough of 14.89 in January 1992.
Latest values
| Date | Value - US dollars (USD) million |
|---|---|
| 2025-06-30 | 75629.0 |
| 2025-07-31 | 76281.0 |
| 2025-08-31 | 79398.0 |
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Series Metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Description | General Merchandise Stores Sales (advance estimate) |
| Country | United States |
| Economic concept | Flow |
| Data type | Nominal aggregate |
| Deflation method | Current prices |
| Seasonally adjusted | No |
| Rescaling | None |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Unit | US dollars (USD) million |
| Source | U.S. Census Bureau |
| Source type | National statistical agency |
| Data licence | Open Data |
| Measure type | Level |
Series in the same data set: Main aggregates SA
| Series Name | Observations | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Trade and Food Services Sales (advance estimate; seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 404 | 1992-01-31 | 2025-08-31 |
| Retail Trade and Food Services ex Auto Sales (advance estimate; seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 404 | 1992-01-31 | 2025-08-31 |
| Retail Trade and Food Services ex Gas Sales (advance estimate; seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 404 | 1992-01-31 | 2025-08-31 |
| Retail Trade and Food Services ex Auto and Gas Sales (advance estimate; seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 404 | 1992-01-31 | 2025-08-31 |
| Retail Trade Sales (advance estimate; seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 404 | 1992-01-31 | 2025-08-31 |
| Food Services and Drinking Places Sales (advance estimate; seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 404 | 1992-01-31 | 2025-08-31 |
Series in the same data set: Retail trade categories SA
Series in the same data set: Main aggregates NSA
| Series Name | Observations | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Trade and Food Services Sales (advance estimate; not seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 404 | 1992-01-31 | 2025-08-31 |
| Retail Trade and Food Services ex Auto Sales (advance estimate; not seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 404 | 1992-01-31 | 2025-08-31 |
| Retail Trade and Food Services ex Gas Sales (advance estimate; not seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 404 | 1992-01-31 | 2025-08-31 |
| Retail Trade and Food Services ex Auto and Gas Sales (advance estimate; not seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 404 | 1992-01-31 | 2025-08-31 |
| Retail Trade Sales (advance estimate; not seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 404 | 1992-01-31 | 2025-08-31 |
| Food Services and Drinking Places Sales (advance estimate; not seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 404 | 1992-01-31 | 2025-08-31 |
Series in the same data set: Retail trade categories NSA
Series in the same data set: Other (subcategories)
| Series Name | Observations | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auto and Other Motor Vehicles Sales (advance estimate; seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 404 | 1992-01-31 | 2025-08-31 |
| Grocery Stores Sales (advance estimate; seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 404 | 1992-01-31 | 2025-08-31 |
| Auto and Other Motor Vehicles Sales (advance estimate; not seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 404 | 1992-01-31 | 2025-08-31 |
| Grocery Stores Sales (advance estimate; not seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 404 | 1992-01-31 | 2025-08-31 |