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U.S. retail sales excluding auto dealers and gasoline stations rose for a 12th consecutive month in September, reaching $560.8 billion. The NRF Retail Monitor reported increases of 0.28% from August and 4.05% from September 2025, while building and garden supply sales rose 2.66% year over year.
U.S. retail sales rose for a 12th consecutive month in September, according to the National Retail Federation’s CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor, released October 8. Sales excluding automobile dealers and gasoline stations totaled $560.8 billion, up 0.28% from August and 4.05% from September 2025 on a seasonally adjusted basis, as consumers continued spending while higher gasoline costs put pressure on household budgets.
The September month-over-month increase in total retail sales was higher than August’s 0.22%, while the year-over-year gain also accelerated from 3.87% in August to 4.05% in September. These figures exclude auto dealers and gasoline stations. The Retail Monitor is the source for the sales totals and comparisons cited in the report.
On a narrower measure that also excludes restaurants, the NRF said core retail sales reached $453.1 billion. They rose 0.27% from August and 3.73% from a year earlier. In August, the corresponding increases were 0.17% month over month and 3.47% year over year.
Sales in the building and garden supply sector were $44.0 billion in September, up 0.07% from August and 2.66% year over year. The sector’s monthly increase was modest; the figures do not indicate how much of its annual gain came from prices, sales volume or changes in the mix of products purchased.
Growth Amid Household Cost Pressure
The consecutive monthly gains point to continued consumer spending, but the reported growth rates alone do not establish how households are managing higher costs. NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said families remained budget conscious and were concentrating on everyday essentials as higher gasoline prices took a larger share of household budgets.
For retailers, the figures provide a current measure of sales across the broad categories covered by the monitor. Shay said retailers were using promotions and value pricing to keep products affordable. The building and garden supply results also offer a sector-specific indicator: sales increased from a year earlier, though the monthly change was close to flat.
Readers should interpret the figures within their stated scope. Total retail sales here exclude auto dealers and gas stations, while core sales also exclude restaurants. The measures are not a complete accounting of every kind of consumer spending, and the reported nominal sales values do not by themselves show whether shoppers bought more goods or paid higher prices.
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How September Compared With August
The September figures follow 11 consecutive months of retail sales growth, making September the 12th month in that reported run. The comparison with August shows slightly faster month-over-month and year-over-year growth in both the total measure and the core measure used by the NRF Retail Monitor.
The report also places the data after what Shay described as a solid back-to-school shopping season. That characterization is his assessment, not a separate sales breakdown in the figures provided. The source material does not give category-level details for back-to-school purchases or explain how that season affected September totals.
The report was published by Hardware Retailing on October 8, citing the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor released that day. Its figures are seasonally adjusted for the stated month-over-month and year-over-year comparisons. No additional price-adjusted measure or household spending survey is included in the supplied report.
What the Sales Figures Do Not Show
The supplied report does not break out the September totals by individual retail category beyond building and garden supplies, nor does it provide regional results, transaction counts or average purchase values. It is also unclear how much of the dollar growth reflects prices versus the quantity of goods sold, because the cited figures are not accompanied by an inflation-adjusted measure.
The source attributes pressure on household budgets to higher gasoline prices, but it does not quantify that effect or offer data showing how spending changed across income groups. Shay’s comments about essentials, affordability and the back-to-school season are attributed assessments; the reported totals do not independently measure those factors.
The figures also describe a defined set of sales categories. Because the overall measure excludes auto dealers and gas stations, it should not be read as total consumer spending across the entire economy. The report does not provide details on revisions, uncertainty ranges or how the next month’s results might compare.
Next Monthly Retail Monitor Release
The next monthly Retail Monitor release will show whether the reported run of growth continues and whether the pace changes. For comparison, readers can track the same measures: total sales excluding auto dealers and gasoline stations, core sales that also exclude restaurants, and sector results such as building and garden supplies.
Until additional data are released, September’s confirmed takeaway is limited to the reported sales values and growth rates. Future figures may add information about the direction of retail spending, but the current report does not forecast sales or establish how households will respond to ongoing gasoline costs.
Key Questions
How much did retail sales rise in September?
According to the NRF Retail Monitor, sales excluding auto dealers and gasoline stations totaled $560.8 billion, up 0.28% from August and 4.05% from September 2025 on a seasonally adjusted basis.
What does the report mean by core retail sales?
The Retail Monitor’s core measure excludes restaurants as well as auto dealers and gasoline stations. It totaled $453.1 billion in September, up 0.27% month over month and 3.73% year over year.
How did building and garden supply sales perform?
Sales in the building and garden supply sector were $44.0 billion, up 0.07% from August and 2.66% from a year earlier, according to the report.
Do the figures show that shoppers bought more goods?
Not by themselves. The report gives sales values and growth rates but does not provide an inflation-adjusted measure or data separating changes in prices from changes in the quantity of goods sold.
Source: rss
