General Merchandise Stores Sales (advance estimate; 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 seasonally-adjusted advance estimates for the US economy released by the Census Bureau, sales at general merchandise stores were 80.39 billion US dollars in August 2026, compared to 79.85 in July 2026. This marks an increase of 0.68 percent.
Sample. In the monthly series shown in the plot, there are 416 records in total. The span of time covered by the series goes from January 1992 to August 2026.
History. Here's a snapshot of some statistics calculated on the full sample: sales recorded a bottom of 19.81 USD billion in January 1992; they peaked at 80.39 in August 2026; they averaged 47.89.
Latest values
| Date | Value - US dollars (USD) million |
|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | 79442.0 |
| 2026-07-31 | 79854.0 |
| 2026-08-31 | 80388.0 |
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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 | Yes |
| 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
Discover the other time series included in this 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 | 416 | 1992-01-31 | 2026-08-31 |
| Retail Trade and Food Services ex Auto Sales (advance estimate; seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 416 | 1992-01-31 | 2026-08-31 |
| Retail Trade and Food Services ex Gas Sales (advance estimate; seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 416 | 1992-01-31 | 2026-08-31 |
| Retail Trade and Food Services ex Auto and Gas Sales (advance estimate; seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 416 | 1992-01-31 | 2026-08-31 |
| Retail Trade Sales (advance estimate; seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 416 | 1992-01-31 | 2026-08-31 |
| Food Services and Drinking Places Sales (advance estimate; seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 416 | 1992-01-31 | 2026-08-31 |
Retail trade categories SA
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 | 416 | 1992-01-31 | 2026-08-31 |
| Retail Trade and Food Services ex Auto Sales (advance estimate; not seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 416 | 1992-01-31 | 2026-08-31 |
| Retail Trade and Food Services ex Gas Sales (advance estimate; not seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 416 | 1992-01-31 | 2026-08-31 |
| Retail Trade and Food Services ex Auto and Gas Sales (advance estimate; not seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 416 | 1992-01-31 | 2026-08-31 |
| Retail Trade Sales (advance estimate; not seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 416 | 1992-01-31 | 2026-08-31 |
| Food Services and Drinking Places Sales (advance estimate; not seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 416 | 1992-01-31 | 2026-08-31 |
Retail trade categories NSA
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 | 416 | 1992-01-31 | 2026-08-31 |
| Grocery Stores Sales (advance estimate; seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 416 | 1992-01-31 | 2026-08-31 |
| Auto and Other Motor Vehicles Sales (advance estimate; not seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 416 | 1992-01-31 | 2026-08-31 |
| Grocery Stores Sales (advance estimate; not seasonally adjusted; USD million) - United States - Census - Monthly | 416 | 1992-01-31 | 2026-08-31 |