Retail Sales
Monthly U.S. advance retail and food services sales, seasonally adjusted (millions of dollars)
Retail Sales is one of the fastest reads on U.S. consumer demand, covering spending across stores, autos, online channels, restaurants, and related categories. Because consumption drives the majority of U.S. GDP, this monthly series is a high-signal Growth & Activity indicator for both macro direction and near-term market tone.
Historical Retail Sales Chart
Related Indicators
History of Retail Sales Measurement
What RSAFS Measures
RSAFS tracks monthly sales receipts from retail and food services establishments. It is seasonally adjusted and released as an advance estimate, providing a timely pulse on household spending behavior.
Methodology Timeline
- Census Monthly Survey: The U.S. Census Bureau compiles retail sales from sampled firms across major store and service categories, then benchmarks totals against broader annual surveys.
- Advance / revised releases: Initial monthly estimates are revised in following releases as more complete business responses arrive.
- Seasonal updates: Seasonal factors are re-estimated regularly, which can slightly adjust prior observations while improving comparability through time.
Why Traders Watch It
Retail sales can validate or challenge broader growth narratives quickly. Strong sequential prints tend to support cyclical risk appetite, while softening consumer demand can pressure growth expectations, margins, and policy-path assumptions.
Current Reading
Interpreting Retail Sales
FISES Context
Retail Sales represents the demand side of Growth & Activity. Persistent weakness can signal slowing nominal activity before it fully appears in broader quarterly GDP releases.
Release Schedule
Retail Sales is released monthly by the U.S. Census Bureau, typically in the middle of the following month, with revisions in subsequent reports.
- Frequency: Monthly
- Unit: Millions of dollars (seasonally adjusted)
- Release style: Advance estimate with revisions