FOR RELEASE AT 8:30 AM EDT, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023

ADVANCE MONTHLY SALES FOR RETAIL AND FOOD SERVICES, AUGUST 2023
Release Number: CB23-148
September 14, 2023 — The U.S. Census Bureau announced the following advance estimates of U.S. retail
and food services sales for August 2023:

Percent Change in Retail and Food Services Sales from

ADVANCE MONTHLY SALES
Previous Month
Data adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences but not for
price changes.
2
August 2023 $697.6 billion 0.6%

July 2023
$693.7 billion 0.5%
0
(revised)

Next release: October 17, 2023

-2
* The 90 percent confidence interval includes zero. There is insufficient statistical June July August
evidence to conclude that the actual change is different from zero. Total Ex Auto Auto Gen Mer
Data adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences but Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Advanced Monthly Retail Trade Survey,
not for price changes. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Advanced Monthly Retail September 14, 2023
Trade Survey, September 14, 2023

Advance Estimates of U.S. Retail and Food Services

Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for August 2023, adjusted for seasonal variation
and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $697.6 billion, up 0.6 percent
(±0.5 percent) from the previous month, and up 2.5 percent (±0.7 percent) above August 2022. Total sales
for the June 2023 through August 2023 period were up 2.2 percent (±0.4 percent) from the same period a
year ago. The June 2023 to July 2023 percent change was revised from up 0.7 percent (±0.5 percent) to up
0.5 percent (±0.2 percent).
Retail trade sales were up 0.6 percent (±0.5 percent) from July 2023, and up 1.6 percent (±0.5 percent)
above last year. Gasoline stations were down 10.3 percent (±1.1 percent) from last year, while food
services and drinking places were up 8.5 percent (±2.3 percent) from August 2022.
General Information
The September 2023 Advance Monthly Retail report is scheduled for release on October 17, 2023 at 8:30
a.m. EDT. View the full schedule in the Economic Briefing Room: <https://www.census.gov/economic-
indicators/>. The full text and tables of this release can be found at <www.census.gov/retail/>.

Data Inquiries Media Inquiries

Economic Indicators Division, Retail Indicator Branch Public Information Office
301-763-2713 301-763-3030
[email protected] [email protected]
EXPLANATORY NOTES
The advance estimates are based on a subsample of the Census Bureau’s full retail and food services
sample. A stratified random sampling method is used to select approximately 4,800 retail and food
services firms whose sales are then weighted and benchmarked to represent the complete universe of
over three million retail and food services firms. For more information on how data is collected for the
Advance Monthly Retail Trade Survey, see our methodology page at:
<https://www.census.gov/retail/marts/how_surveys_are_collected.html>.

Survey Description
The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the Advance Monthly Retail Trade and Food Services Survey to provide
an early estimate of monthly sales by kind of business for retail and food service firms located in the
United States. Each month, questionnaires are mailed to a probability sample of approximately 4,800
employer firms selected from the larger Monthly Retail Trade Survey. Advance sales estimates are
computed using a link relative estimator. For each detailed industry, we compute a ratio of current-to-
previous month weighted sales using data from units for which we have obtained usable responses for
both the current and previous month. For each detailed industry, the advance total sales estimates for the
current month is computed by multiplying this ratio by the preliminary sales estimate for the previous
month (derived from the larger MRTS) at the appropriate industry level. Total estimates for broader
industries are computed as the sum of the detailed industry estimates. The link relative estimate is used
because imputation is not performed for most nonrespondents in MARTS. For a limited number of
nonresponding companies that have influential effects on the estimates, sales may be estimated based on
historical performance of that company. The monthly estimates are benchmarked to the annual survey
estimates from the Annual Retail Trade Survey once available. The estimates are adjusted for seasonal
variation and holiday and trading day differences. Additional information on MARTS and MRTS can be
found on the Census Bureau website at: <www.census.gov/retail>.

The Census Bureau has reviewed this data product to ensure appropriate access, use, and
disclosure avoidance protection of the confidential source data (Project No. 7504206, Disclosure Review
Board (DRB) approval number: CBDRB-FY23-001).

Reliability of Estimates
Because the estimates presented in this report are based on a sample survey, they contain sampling error
and nonsampling error.

Sampling error is the difference between the estimate and the result that would be obtained from a
complete enumeration of the sampling frame conducted under the same survey conditions. This error
Data Inquiries Media Inquiries
Economic Indicators Division, Retail Indicator Branch Public Information Office
301-763-2713 301-763-3030
[email protected] [email protected]
occurs because only a subset of the entire sampling frame is measured in a sample survey. Standard errors
and coefficients of variation (CV), as given in Table 3 of this report, are estimated measures of sampling
variation.
The margin of sampling error, as used on page 1, gives a range about the estimate which is a 90 percent
confidence interval. If, for example, the percent change estimate is +1.2 percent and its estimated
standard error is 0.9 percent, then the margin of sampling error is ±1.753 x 0.9 percent or ±1.6 percent,
and the 90 percent confidence interval is –0.4 percent to +2.8 percent. If the interval contains 0, then one
does not have sufficient evidence to conclude at the 90 percent confidence level that the change is
different from zero and therefore the change is not statistically significant. Estimated changes shown in
the text are statistically significant unless otherwise noted. For a monthly total, the median estimated
coefficient of variation is given. The resulting confidence interval is the estimated value ±1.753 x CV x (the
estimated monthly total). The Census Bureau recommends that individuals using estimates in this report
incorporate this information into their analyses, as sampling error could affect the conclusions drawn from
the estimates.
Nonsampling error encompasses all other factors that contribute to the total error of a sample survey
estimate. This type of error can occur because of nonresponse, insufficient coverage of the universe of
retail businesses, mistakes in the recording and coding of data, and other errors of collection, response,
coverage, or processing. Although nonsampling error is not measured directly, the Census Bureau employs
quality control procedures throughout the process to minimize this type of error.

Weather Information
For information on the impact of weather events on the compilation of this report, please see the
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on our website at:
<www.census.gov/retail/marts_weather_faqs.html>

RESOURCES
The Rest of the Consumer Spending Story
Retail and services together represent what’s commonly referred to as consumer spending. Quarterly
Services Survey (QSS) revenue comprises roughly 2/3 of the personal consumption expenditures
component of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) measured by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).
The second quarter 2023 Quarterly Services Report was released on September 7, 2023 at 10:00 AM.
Learn about historical revenue trends for certain industries going back 15 years and other data, such as in-
patient days and discharges for hospitals, by visiting <https://www.census.gov/services/index.html>

Data Inquiries Media Inquiries

Economic Indicators Division, Retail Indicator Branch Public Information Office
301-763-2713 301-763-3030
[email protected] [email protected]
API
The Census Bureau’s application programming interface lets developers create custom apps to reach new
users and makes key demographic, socio-economic and housing statistics more accessible than ever
before. <www.census.gov/developers/>

FRED Mobile App

Receive the latest updates on the nation’s key economic indicators by downloading
the FRED App <https://fred.stlouisfed.org/fred-mobile/> for both Apple and
Android devices. FRED, the signature database of the Federal Reserve Bank of St.
Louis, now incorporates the Census Bureau’s 13 economic indicators.
###
* The 90 percent confidence interval includes zero. There is insufficient statistical evidence to conclude that the actual change is different from zero.

Data Inquiries Media Inquiries

Economic Indicators Division, Retail Indicator Branch Public Information Office
301-763-2713 301-763-3030
[email protected] [email protected]
Table 1. Estimated Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services, by Kind of Business
(Total sales estimates are shown in millions of dollars and are based on data from the Advance Monthly Retail Trade Survey, Monthly Retail Trade Survey,
and administrative records.)
2
Not Adjusted Adjusted
1
NAICS 8 Month Total 2023 2022 2023 2022
Kind of Business 3 3
code % Chg. Aug. Jul. Jun. Aug. Jul. Aug. Jul. Jun. Aug. Jul.
2023 2022 (a) (p) (r) (a) (p) (r) (r) (r)
Retail & food services,
total ……………………………….………..………..5,461,511 3.0 719,201 699,095 705,527 698,833 685,483 697,557 693,668 690,518 680,721 675,822
Total (excl. motor vehicle & parts) … 4,387,906 2.9 577,181 563,440 565,183 562,924 557,906 564,027 560,495 556,836 552,766 551,528
Total (excl. gasoline stations) ………………………….
5,025,608 4.8 659,408 642,149 649,196 632,519 613,183 642,295 641,135 638,019 619,091 609,431
Total (excl. motor vehicle & parts &
gasoline stations) ………………………. 3,952,003 5.1 517,388 506,494 508,852 496,610 485,606 508,765 507,962 504,337 491,136 485,137
Retail …..…………………………….……….. 4,743,866 1.8 626,075 605,218 612,243 613,508 599,929 606,791 603,141 600,736 597,069 594,264
4
GAFO ………………………....……...……...…………..………..……….. (*) (*) (*) 127,051 127,006 131,100 126,879 (*) 129,002 128,324 128,748 127,579
441 Motor vehicle & parts dealers …….………..1,073,605 3.5 142,020 135,655 140,344 135,909 127,577 133,530 133,173 133,682 127,955 124,294
4411, 4412 Auto & other motor veh. dealers . 984,871 3.1 130,015 124,287 128,517 124,747 117,126 122,310 121,850 122,397 117,464 113,936
44111 New car dealers ……………….……….. (*) (*) (*) 100,390 102,854 99,421 92,334 (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA)
4413 Auto parts, acc. & tire stores…………….. (*) (*) (*) 11,368 11,827 11,162 10,451 (*) 11,323 11,285 10,491 10,358
442 Furniture & home furn. stores ……………..………..
88,957 -4.3 11,391 10,777 11,292 12,324 11,628 10,932 11,042 11,258 11,861 11,757
4421 Furniture stores …………………..………..……….. (*) (*) (*) 6,270 6,449 6,855 6,742 (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA)
4422 Home furnishings stores ………..……….. (*) (*) (*) (S) (S) (S) (S) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA)
443 Electronics & appliance stores …………….. 57,527 -2.2 7,662 7,164 7,327 7,787 7,472 7,732 7,678 7,762 7,874 7,966
444 Building material & garden eq. &
supplies dealers…………………….………..……….. 339,207 -2.5 43,852 42,185 46,719 45,581 43,860 41,502 41,467 41,391 43,655 43,047
4441 Building mat. & sup. dealers …………….. (*) (*) (*) 36,724 39,872 40,043 38,435 (*) 35,620 35,473 37,529 37,099
445 Food & beverage stores…………….……….. 648,377 3.3 83,460 83,698 81,796 81,194 82,655 82,326 82,033 81,463 80,624 80,179
4451 Grocery stores …………………..………..……….. 584,570 3.4 75,042 75,117 73,264 73,025 74,277 73,933 73,644 73,118 72,445 72,114
4453 Beer, wine & liquor stores ……………….. (*) (*) (*) 6,206 6,157 5,864 6,118 (*) 6,002 5,972 5,858 5,810
446 Health & personal care stores …….………..281,687 8.0 36,639 34,762 36,200 33,997 32,344 36,240 36,060 36,020 33,627 33,587
44611 Pharmacies & drug stores ……………….. (*) (*) (*) 29,059 30,036 28,244 27,170 (*) 29,896 29,946 27,854 28,010
447 Gasoline stations ……………………………..………..
435,903 -13.6 59,793 56,946 56,331 66,314 72,300 55,262 52,533 52,499 61,630 66,391
448 Clothing & clothing accessories
stores …………………………….…..………..………..
193,681 1.4 26,991 25,319 24,809 26,049 24,904 26,201 25,971 25,736 25,862 25,318
44811 Men's clothing stores …………………….. (*) (*) (*) (S) (S) (S) (S) (*) (S) (S) (S) (S)
44812 Women's clothing stores ………..……….. (*) (*) (*) 3,235 3,138 3,396 3,305 (*) 3,332 3,265 3,545 3,369
44814 Family clothing stores …………………….. (*) (*) (*) 10,992 10,434 10,493 10,442 (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA)
4482 Shoe stores ………………………………..……….. (*) (*) (*) 3,356 3,063 4,095 3,291 (*) 3,268 3,255 3,310 3,149
451 Sporting goods, hobby, musical
instrument, & book stores ……………………..
65,118 1.0 9,294 8,534 8,653 9,449 8,524 8,550 8,690 8,542 8,669 8,567
452 General merchandise stores……….………..………..
562,025 3.1 74,547 72,603 72,387 72,390 71,573 73,228 73,007 72,448 71,760 71,294
4521 Department stores ………………….………..83,366 -1.5 11,473 10,617 10,400 11,752 10,980 11,053 11,025 10,898 11,440 11,355
4529 Other general merch. stores…. ..……….. (*) (*) (*) 61,986 61,987 60,638 60,593 (*) 61,982 61,550 60,320 59,939
45291 Warehouse clubs &
supercenters………………….………..………..(*) (*) (*) 53,560 53,113 52,668 52,520 (*) 53,241 52,901 51,992 51,693
45299 All oth. gen. merch. stores…………….. (*) (*) (*) 8,426 8,874 7,970 8,073 (*) 8,741 8,649 8,328 8,246
453 Miscellaneous store retailers ……..………..121,530 2.7 15,738 15,535 16,656 15,963 15,459 15,181 15,375 15,536 15,246 15,157
454 Nonstore retailers …………………..………..………..
876,249 8.0 114,688 112,040 109,729 106,551 101,633 116,107 116,112 114,399 108,306 106,707
4541 Elect. shopping & m/o houses ….……….. (*) (*) (*) 103,437 100,106 96,899 92,990 (*) 106,089 104,169 97,680 96,363
722 Food services & drinking places ……….. 717,645 12.0 93,126 93,877 93,284 85,325 85,554 90,766 90,527 89,782 83,652 81,558

(*) Advance estimates are not available for this kind of business. (NA) Not available (a) Advance estimate (p) Preliminary estimate (r) Revised estimate

(S) Estimate does not meet publication standards because of high sampling variability (coefficient of variation is greater than 30%), poor response quality
(total quantity response rate is less than 50%), or other concerns about the estimate's quality.
(1) For a full description of the NAICS codes used in this table, see <https://www.census.gov/naics/>.
(2) Estimates are concurrently adjusted for seasonal variation and for holiday and trading day differences, but not for price changes. Concurrent seasonal adjustment
uses all available unadjusted estimates as input to the X-13ARIMA-SEATS program. The factors derived from the program are used in calculating all seasonally
adjusted estimates shown in this table. Year-to-date seasonally adjusted sales estimates are not tabulated. Adjustment factors and explanatory material can be found
on the Internet at <http://www.census.gov/retail>.
(3) Advance estimates are based on early reports obtained from a small sample of firms selected from the larger Monthly Retail Trade Survey (MRTS) sample.
All other estimates are from the MRTS sample.
(4) GAFO represents firms which specialize in department store types of merchandise and is comprised of furniture & home furnishings (442), electronics & appliances (443),
clothing & accessories (448), sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, and book (451), general merchandise (452), office supply, stationery, and gift stores (4532).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Advance Monthly Retail Trade Survey, September 14, 2023. Table 3 provides estimated measures of sampling variability. Additional information on
confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, sample design, and definitions may be found at
<www.census.gov/retail/how_surveys_are_collected.html>.
Table 2. Estimated Change in Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services, by Kind of Business
(Estimates are shown as percents and are based on data from the Advance Monthly Retail Trade Survey, Monthly Retail Trade Survey,
and administrative records.)
Percent Change1
Jun. 2023
Aug. 2023 Advance Jul. 2023 Preliminary through
NAICS Kind of Business from -- from -- Aug. 2023 from --
code Mar. 2023 Jun. 2022
Jul. 2023 Aug. 2022 Jun. 2023 Jul. 2022 through through
(p) (r) (r) (r) May 2023 Aug. 2022
Retail & food services,
total ………………………………..…………..………….. 0.6 2.5 0.5 2.6 1.3 2.2
Total (excl. motor vehicle & parts) ….. 0.6 2.0 0.7 1.6 1.2 1.4
Total (excl. gasoline stations) ………………………….0.2 3.7 0.5 5.2 1.5 4.4
Total (excl. motor vehicle & parts &
gasoline stations) ……………………….………….. 0.2 3.6 0.7 4.7 1.4 4.0
Retail ………………………..………..………….. 0.6 1.6 0.4 1.5 1.1 1.2
441 Motor vehicle & parts dealers ………………….. 0.3 4.4 -0.4 7.1 1.8 5.8
4411, 4412 Auto & other motor veh. dealers … 0.4 4.1 -0.4 6.9 1.6 5.6
442 Furniture & home furn. stores ………………….. -1.0 -7.8 -1.9 -6.1 -1.3 -6.1
443 Electronics & appliance stores …….………….. 0.7 -1.8 -1.1 -3.6 0.5 -1.9
444 Building material & garden eq. &
supplies dealers………………………………….. 0.1 -4.9 0.2 -3.7 -0.3 -4.0
445 Food & beverage stores………………………….. 0.4 2.1 0.7 2.3 0.1 1.9
4451 Grocery stores …………………….………….. 0.4 2.1 0.7 2.1 0.0 1.7
446 Health & personal care stores ………………….. 0.5 7.8 0.1 7.4 1.5 7.6
447 Gasoline stations ……………………..………….. 5.2 -10.3 0.1 -20.9 -1.2 -18.3
448 Clothing & clothing accessories
stores ……………………….……………………..…………..0.9 1.3 0.9 2.6 1.2 1.0
451 Sporting goods, hobby, musical
instrument, & book stores ……………………….. -1.6 -1.4 1.7 1.4 -0.1 -0.2
452 General merchandise stores…………………….. 0.3 2.0 0.8 2.4 1.1 1.7
4521 Department stores ………………………. 0.3 -3.4 1.2 -2.9 -1.7 -3.8
453 Miscellaneous store retailers ……….………….. -1.3 -0.4 -1.0 1.4 -0.1 0.8
454 Nonstore retailers …………………….………….. 0.0 7.2 1.5 8.8 3.0 8.1
722 Food services & drinking places ………….. 0.3 8.5 0.8 11.0 2.5 9.6

(p) Preliminary estimate (r) Revised estimate

(1) Estimates shown in this table are derived from adjusted estimates provided in Table 1 of this report.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Advance Monthly Retail Trade Survey, September 14, 2023. Table 3 provides estimated measures of sampling variability.
Additional information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, sample design, and definitions may be found at
<www.census.gov/retail/how_surveys_are_collected.html>.
Table 3. Estimated Measures of Sampling Variability and Revision to Advance Estimates Aug. 2023
(Estimates are shown as percents and are based on data from the Advance Monthly Retail Trade Survey and Monthly Retail Trade Survey)
Median standard error(1) for Revision for month-
Median Percent change to-month change(2)
NAICS Code Kind of Business CV (1) for Previous Mo. Previous Qtr. Current Mo. Median
Current Mo. to to to same Average absolute
(%) Current Mo. Current Qtr. Mo. Last Yr. revision revision
Retail & food services,
total ………………..……………………………………… 0.9 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.0 0.1
Total (excl. motor vehicle & parts) ……….. 1.1 0.3 0.2 0.3 -0.1 0.1
Total (excl. gasoline stations) ………………………….0.9 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.0 0.2
Total (excl. motor vehicle & parts &
gasoline stations) ……………………………… 1.2 0.3 0.2 0.4 -0.1 0.2
Retail, total …..……………………………………….. 0.7 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.0 0.1
441 Motor vehicle & parts dealers ………………. 1.6 1.0 0.4 1.1 0.2 0.3
4411, 4412 Auto & other motor veh. dealers ………… 1.8 1.1 0.4 1.2 0.2 0.3
442 Furniture & home furn. stores………………. 2.7 1.7 0.7 1.7 -0.3 0.8
443 Electronics & appliance stores ………………………….. 2.2 1.0 0.5 1.0 0.3 0.6
444 Building material & garden eq. &
supplies dealers………………………………………… 2.5 0.7 0.5 1.1 -0.2 0.3
445 Food & beverage stores………………………………. 0.7 0.2 0.2 0.5 -0.1 0.2
4451 Grocery stores ………………………………. 0.7 0.2 0.2 0.5 -0.1 0.3
446 Health & personal care stores ……………… 3.2 0.5 0.3 0.7 0.0 0.3
447 Gasoline stations ……………………………………… 1.3 0.4 0.4 0.6 -0.4 0.7
448 Clothing & clothing accessories
stores …………………………………………………… 2.9 0.9 0.6 1.4 -0.1 0.4
451 Sporting goods, hobby, musical
instrument, & book stores ………………..…. 2.4 1.1 0.9 1.6 0.4 0.2
452 General merchandise stores………………… 1.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.0 0.1
4521 Department stores …………………………… 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.1
453 Miscellaneous store retailers …………………. 5.2 2.6 1.2 2.8 0.1 0.7
454 Nonstore retailers ………………………………….. 1.9 0.5 0.4 0.9 0.0 0.4
722 Food services & drinking places ……………… 3.6 0.9 0.7 1.3 -0.1 0.6
(1) Estimated measures of sampling variability are based on estimates not adjusted for seasonal variation or holiday or trading day variation. Medians are based
on estimates for the most recent 12 months.

(2) These columns provide measures of the difference between the advance-to-preliminary and preliminary-to-final estimates of month-to-month change for the
same pair of months as measured by the Advance sample and MRTS sample. The average and median revisions are based on estimates for the most
recent 12 months.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Advance Monthly Retail Trade Survey, September 14, 2023. Additional information on confidentiality protection, sampling error,
nonsampling error, sample design, and definitions may be found at <www.census.gov/retail/how_surveys_are_collected.html>.