Updated: 17-Jun-26 09:20 ET

May Retail Sales

Updated: 17-Jun-26 09:20 ET

Highlights

• Total retail sales increased 0.9% month-over-month in May (Briefing.com consensus: 0.5%) following a downwardly revised 0.4% increase (from 0.5%) in April.
• Excluding autos, retail sales jumped 0.8% (Briefing.com consensus: 0.5%) on the heels of an unrevised 0.7% increase in April.

Key Factors

• Motor vehicle and parts dealer sales increased 1.2% following a 0.9% decline in April.
• Gasoline station sales rose 3.4% following a 2.4% increase in April.
• Clothing and clothing accessories stores sales rose 0.3% month-over-month following a 0.6% decline in April.
• Nonstore retailer sales jumped 1.5% after increasing 1.1% in April.
• Food services and drinking places sales dipped 0.1% following a 0.9% increase in April.
• Furniture and home furnishing store sales increased 1.0% following a 1.5% decline in April.
• General merchandise store sales were up 0.4% month-over-month after decreasing 0.1% in April.
• Electronics and appliance store sales fell 0.5% following a 1.4% increase in April.
• Building material and garden equipment and supplies dealer sales were flat after increasing 0.2% in April.

Big Picture

• The key takeaway from the report is that it shows real demand. The data are not adjusted for price changes, and retail sales activity in May outpaced the rate of inflation (+0.5%) in May. Moreover, excluding gasoline station sales (+3.4%), retail sales were still up 0.7%.

Category	MAY	APR	MAR	FEB	JAN
Retail Sales	0.9%	0.4%	1.7%	0.9%	0.0%
Excluding Autos	0.8%	0.7%	2.0%	0.9%	0.1%
Durable goods
Building Materials	0.0%	0.2%	1.3%	0.5%	0.7%
Autos/parts	1.2%	-0.9%	0.6%	1.0%	-0.7%
Furniture	1.0%	-1.5%	2.4%	-0.4%	1.1%
Nondurable goods
General Merchandise	0.4%	-0.1%	1.6%	0.1%	0.5%
Food	0.0%	0.7%	1.1%	-1.1%	0.0%
Gasoline stations	3.4%	2.4%	14.2%	1.7%	-2.2%
Clothing	0.3%	-0.6%	0.2%	2.6%	-0.4%
e*retailing/non-store	1.5%	1.1%	0.8%	1.8%	1.8%