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U.S. retail sales rose for the 12th consecutive month in September, with total sales excluding auto dealers and gas stations up 0.28% from August and 4.05% from a year earlier. Building and garden supply sales reached $44.0 billion, while the National Retail Federation said higher gasoline costs were pressuring household budgets.
U.S. retail sales rose for the 12th consecutive month in September, increasing 0.28% from August and 4.05% from a year earlier, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor released October 8 by the National Retail Federation. Sales in the building and garden supply sector totaled $44.0 billion, up 0.07% month over month and 2.66% year over year.
The Retail Monitor put total retail sales at $560.8 billion in September. The calculation excludes automobile dealers and gasoline stations, and the reported month-over-month and year-over-year changes are seasonally adjusted. Both measures were higher than the corresponding growth rates reported for August: sales rose 0.22% month over month and 3.87% year over year that month.
A narrower measure, which also excludes restaurants, totaled $453.1 billion in September. These core retail sales increased 0.27% from August and 3.73% from a year earlier. August’s corresponding increases were 0.17% month over month and 3.47% year over year, according to the monitor.
The building and garden supply figures show a smaller monthly gain than the overall retail measures: 0.07% from August. The sector’s 2.66% year-over-year increase provides a separate comparison with September 2025. The source report does not give more detailed breakdowns of the categories or products driving those sales.
Sales Growth Amid Household Cost Pressures
The 12-month run of increases indicates that retail spending continued to expand across the period covered by the monitor, despite pressure on household budgets. The September growth rates were also higher than August’s on both the total and core measures. Those figures offer retailers, suppliers and policymakers a snapshot of consumer spending, although monthly sales growth alone does not show how households are managing costs or whether spending gains are shared evenly across categories.
For hardware and home-improvement businesses, the building and garden supply results are especially relevant: the sector recorded $44.0 billion in sales, with a modest monthly rise and a larger year-over-year gain. The figures establish that sales grew on both comparison bases; they do not explain whether that growth came from higher prices, increased purchase volumes, or a particular product group.
NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said consumers remained focused on everyday necessities while gasoline costs took a larger share of family budgets. That is the organization’s assessment of household behavior, not a detailed measure of how consumers allocated spending. The release does not provide a specific estimate of gasoline’s effect on retail purchases.
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How September Compares With August
The report presents September results against two baselines: August 2026 for month-over-month changes and September 2025 for year-over-year changes. On the total-sales measure, both reported September growth rates exceeded August’s: 0.28% compared with 0.22% month over month, and 4.05% compared with 3.87% year over year. Core sales likewise grew faster by those measures, at 0.27% and 3.73% in September versus 0.17% and 3.47% in August.
The figures come from the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor, released by the National Retail Federation. Its total retail measure excludes auto dealers and gasoline stations; its core measure also excludes restaurants. The source identifies the sales values as dollar totals and the changes as seasonally adjusted. These definitions matter when comparing the numbers with other retail reports that may include different businesses or use different methods.
The NRF described September as following a solid back-to-school shopping season and said retailers used promotions and value pricing. Those statements provide the federation’s explanation of the retail environment, but the supplied report does not include a separate measurement of back-to-school spending, promotional activity or the influence of pricing on sales.
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What the Sales Figures Do Not Show
The report does not explain how much of September’s increase reflected changes in the quantity of goods sold versus changes in prices. It also does not provide household-level spending data, regional results, or a breakdown of which products accounted for building and garden supply sales. The figures therefore confirm growth in the stated sales measures but do not establish what caused it.
The source says higher gasoline prices were putting pressure on shoppers’ budgets, but it offers no fuel-price data or estimate of that pressure’s impact. It is also not clear from the supplied report whether the monthly growth streak will continue, or how future sales may respond to household costs and retailers’ pricing decisions.
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Upcoming Data Will Test the Trend
The September release establishes the latest result, but the next Retail Monitor figures will show whether sales continue to rise and how the year-over-year comparisons develop. Readers can also compare future total and core figures with September’s respective baselines of $560.8 billion and $453.1 billion, keeping in mind the categories excluded from each measure.
For hardware and garden retailers, subsequent reports may clarify whether September’s sector growth persists. The source material gives no date for the next release, forecast for October, or further breakdown of the September sector results, so those developments remain pending.
Key Questions
How much did retail sales rise in September?
The Retail Monitor reported that total retail sales, excluding auto dealers and gasoline stations, rose 0.28% month over month and 4.05% year over year, seasonally adjusted.
What does the report mean by core retail sales?
The monitor’s core measure excludes restaurants as well as automobile dealers and gasoline stations. It totaled $453.1 billion in September, up 0.27% from August and 3.73% from a year earlier.
How did building and garden supply sales perform?
Sales in the building and garden supply sector reached $44.0 billion, increasing 0.07% from August and 2.66% compared with September 2025.
What did the NRF say about consumers and gasoline prices?
NRF chief executive Matthew Shay said households were budget conscious and focused on everyday essentials as higher gasoline prices took a larger share of family budgets. The release does not quantify gasoline’s effect on retail spending.
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