FOR RELEASE AT 8:30 AM EDT, TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2026
ADVANCE MONTHLY SALES FOR RETAIL AND FOOD SERVICES, MARCH 2026
Release Number: CB26-63
April 21, 2026 — The U.S. Census Bureau announced the following advance estimates of U.S. retail and
food services sales for March 2026:
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
March 2026 $752.1 billion 1.7%
1
February 2026
$739.8 billion 0.7%
0
(revised)
-1
Next release: May 14, 2026
-2
* The 90 percent confidence interval includes zero. There is insufficient statistical January February March
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, Advance Monthly Retail Trade Survey,
not for price changes. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Advance Monthly Retail Trade April 21, 2026
Survey, April 21, 2026
Advance Estimates of U.S. Retail and Food Services
Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for March 2026, adjusted for seasonal variation
and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $752.1 billion, up 1.7 percent
(±0.4 percent) from the previous month, and up 4.0 percent (±0.5 percent) from March 2025. Total sales
for the January 2026 through March 2026 period were up 3.7 percent (±0.4 percent) from the same period
a year ago. The January 2026 to February 2026 percent change was revised from up 0.6 percent (±0.4
percent) to up 0.7 percent (±0.2 percent).
Retail trade sales were up 1.9 percent (±0.5 percent) from February 2026, and up 4.2 percent (±0.5
percent) from last year. Nonstore retailers were up 10.1 percent (±1.8 percent) from last year, while food
services and drinking places were up 2.4 percent (±1.9 percent) from March 2025.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Schedule
The April 2026 Advance Monthly Retail report is scheduled for release on May 14, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. EDT.
View the full schedule in the Economic Briefing Room: .
The full text and tables of this release can be found at .
Data Inquiries Media Inquiries
Economic Indicators Division, Retail Indicator Branch Public Information Office
301-763-2713 301-763-3030
eid.retail.indicator.branch@census.gov pio@census.gov
Special Notice
The Annual Retail Trade Survey (ARTS) has transitioned to the Annual Integrated Economic Survey (AIES).
As a result of this transition and the associated changes to data processing and integration, the Annual
Revision Report for the Monthly Retail Trade Survey (MRTS) will be delayed. An updated release schedule
will be provided once it becomes available.
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 (MARTS), see our methodology page at
.
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, letters are mailed to a probability sample of approximately 4,800 employer
firms selected from the larger Monthly Retail Trade Survey (MRTS). 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 .
The Census Bureau has reviewed this data product to ensure appropriate access, use, and disclosure
avoidance protection of the confidential source data (Project No. P-7504206, Disclosure Review Board
(DRB) approval number: CBDRB-FY26-003).
Data Inquiries Media Inquiries
Economic Indicators Division, Retail Indicator Branch Public Information Office
301-763-2713 301-763-3030
eid.retail.indicator.branch@census.gov pio@census.gov
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
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.
Statement Regarding Natural Disasters
For information on the impact of natural disasters on the compilation of this report, please see the
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on our website at .
Data Inquiries Media Inquiries
Economic Indicators Division, Retail Indicator Branch Public Information Office
301-763-2713 301-763-3030
eid.retail.indicator.branch@census.gov pio@census.gov
RESOURCES
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.
FRED Mobile App
Receive the latest updates on the nation’s key economic indicators by downloading
the FRED App 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
eid.retail.indicator.branch@census.gov pio@census.gov
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.)
Not Adjusted Adjusted2
1
NAICS 3 Month Total 2026 2025 2026 2025
Kind of Business
code % Chg. Mar.3 Feb. Jan. Mar. Feb. Mar.3 Feb. Jan. Mar. Feb.
2026 2025 (a) (p) (r) (a) (p) (r) (r) (r)
Retail & food services,
total ……………………………….………..……… 2,089,026 3.8 759,588 655,064 674,374 726,888 630,744 752,063 739,772 734,503 723,350 711,575
Total (excl. motor vehicle & parts) … 1,690,462 4.7 610,666 528,537 551,259 574,454 508,568 612,436 600,787 596,884 580,773 577,763
Total (excl. gasoline stations) ………………1,937,610 3.7 699,804 609,944 627,862 676,367 585,394 691,492 687,307 682,708 672,060 658,842
Total (excl. motor vehicle & parts &
gasoline stations) ………………………. 1,539,046 4.6 550,882 483,417 504,747 523,933 463,218 551,865 548,322 545,089 529,483 525,030
Retail …..…………………………….……….. 1,802,038 3.8 656,061 563,690 582,287 624,954 543,970 651,843 639,691 634,949 625,525 616,636
GAFO4………………………....……...……...…………..………..……… (*) (*) (*) 115,527 118,798 128,550 112,525 (*) 135,373 134,528 132,108 131,557
441 Motor vehicle & parts dealers …….……… 398,564 0.3 148,922 126,527 123,115 152,434 122,176 139,627 138,985 137,619 142,577 133,812
4411, 4412 Auto & other motor veh. dealers . 365,260 0.0 136,739 116,105 112,416 140,668 112,221 127,913 127,169 126,027 131,098 122,512
44111 New car dealers ……………….……….. (*) (*) (*) 96,721 96,046 118,056 94,762 (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA)
4413 Auto parts, acc. & tire stores…………… (*) (*) (*) 10,422 10,699 11,766 9,955 (*) 11,816 11,592 11,479 11,300
442 Furniture & home furn. stores …………… 31,497 -2.8 11,504 9,986 10,007 11,549 10,444 11,301 11,059 11,070 11,390 11,566
4421 Furniture stores …………………..………. (*) (*) (*) 5,559 5,387 6,352 5,802 (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA)
4422 Home furnishings stores ………..……… (*) (*) (*) (S) (S) (S) (S) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA)
443 Electronics & appliance stores …………… 21,981 5.3 7,639 6,980 7,362 7,199 6,630 7,982 7,914 7,857 7,586 7,526
444 Building material & garden eq. &
supplies dealers…………………….………..… 108,402 4.0 41,882 32,784 33,736 39,789 31,549 41,615 41,312 41,065 40,547 39,683
4441 Building mat. & sup. dealers …………… (*) (*) (*) 28,194 29,201 33,963 27,387 (*) 35,420 35,310 35,122 34,320
445 Food & beverage stores…………….………. 243,622 0.4 83,143 75,943 84,536 83,083 76,398 84,549 83,967 84,988 84,572 84,458
4451 Grocery stores …………………..………..… 221,785 0.5 75,501 68,951 77,333 75,242 69,309 76,341 75,687 76,643 76,156 76,080
4453 Beer, wine & liquor stores ……………… (*) (*) (*) 5,033 5,231 5,613 5,037 (*) 5,956 6,006 5,978 5,947
446 Health & personal care stores …….……… 113,925 2.0 39,986 36,154 37,785 38,832 35,484 39,866 39,686 38,913 39,224 38,865
44611 Pharmacies & drug stores ……………… (*) (*) (*) 31,110 32,790 33,126 30,579 (*) 34,074 33,357 33,733 33,456
447 Gasoline stations ……………………………..… 151,416 5.6 59,784 45,120 46,512 50,521 45,350 60,571 52,465 51,795 51,290 52,733
448 Clothing & clothing accessories
stores …………………………….…..………..…… 69,648 7.1 26,682 22,444 20,522 24,941 20,653 27,837 27,829 27,080 25,958 25,599
44811 Men's clothing stores …………………… (*) (*) (*) (S) (S) (S) (S) (*) (S) (S) (S) (S)
44812 Women's clothing stores ………..……… (*) (*) (*) 2,286 1,994 3,081 2,323 (*) 2,738 2,677 2,827 2,809
44814 Family clothing stores …………………… (*) (*) (*) 9,835 9,353 11,191 8,633 (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA)
4482 Shoe stores ………………………………..… (*) (*) (*) 2,734 2,268 3,222 2,468 (*) 3,359 3,287 3,196 3,036
451 Sporting goods, hobby, musical
instrument, & book stores ………………… 22,101 7.2 8,127 6,814 7,160 7,721 6,205 8,457 8,454 8,394 8,145 7,689
452 General merchandise stores……….……… 216,744 2.5 77,287 67,546 71,911 75,038 66,830 78,565 77,778 77,802 76,621 76,837
4522 Department stores ………………….……… 7,353 -4.3 2,970 2,374 2,009 2,933 2,525 3,289 3,157 3,049 3,263 3,318
4523 Gen. merchandise stores
incl. warehouse clubs &
supercenters………….........…..……... (*) (*) (*) 65,172 69,902 72,105 64,305 (*) 74,621 74,753 73,358 73,519
452311 Warehouse clubs &
supercenters………………….………..… (*) (*) (*) 57,192 61,454 63,421 56,585 (*) 65,288 65,377 64,322 64,521
452319 All oth. gen. merch. stores…………… (*) (*) (*) 7,980 8,448 8,684 7,720 (*) 9,333 9,376 9,036 8,998
453 Miscellaneous store retailers ……..……… 44,134 12.0 15,927 14,115 14,092 14,440 12,389 16,041 16,189 15,842 14,610 14,341
454 Nonstore retailers …………………..………..… 380,004 9.7 135,178 119,277 125,549 119,407 109,862 135,432 134,053 132,524 123,005 123,527
4541 Elect. shopping & m/o houses ….…… (*) (*) (*) 110,211 116,107 111,839 101,494 (*) 126,244 124,846 116,016 116,259
722 Food services & drinking places ……….. 286,988 3.8 103,527 91,374 92,087 101,934 86,774 100,220 100,081 99,554 97,825 94,939
(*) 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) Estimates include data only for businesses with paid employees. Prior to the benchmark report released in April 2025, the Advance Monthly Retail Trade Survey estimates included nonemployers.
For a full description of the NAICS codes used in this table, see .
(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 .
(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, April 21, 2026. (Project No. P-7504206 / Approval CBDRB-FY26-003), 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
.
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
Jan. 2026
Mar. 2026 Advance Feb. 2026 Preliminary through
NAICS Kind of Business from -- from -- Mar. 2026 from --
code Oct. 2025 Jan. 2025
Feb. 2026 Mar. 2025 Jan. 2026 Feb. 2025 through through
(p) (r) (r) (r) Dec. 2025 Mar. 2025
Retail & food services,
total ………………………………..…………..…… 1.7 4.0 0.7 4.0 1.2 3.7
Total (excl. motor vehicle & parts) ….. 1.9 5.5 0.7 4.0 1.4 4.5
Total (excl. gasoline stations) ……………… 0.6 2.9 0.7 4.3 0.9 3.6
Total (excl. motor vehicle & parts &
gasoline stations) ……………………….…… 0.6 4.2 0.6 4.4 1.1 4.4
Retail ………………………..………..………….. 1.9 4.2 0.7 3.7 1.4 3.7
441 Motor vehicle & parts dealers ……………… 0.5 -2.1 1.0 3.9 0.3 0.6
4411, 4412 Auto & other motor veh. dealers … 0.6 -2.4 0.9 3.8 0.2 0.4
442 Furniture & home furn. stores ……………… 2.2 -0.8 -0.1 -4.4 0.4 -2.9
443 Electronics & appliance stores …….……… 0.9 5.2 0.7 5.2 2.3 5.1
444 Building material & garden eq. &
supplies dealers………………………………… 0.7 2.6 0.6 4.1 2.6 3.8
445 Food & beverage stores………………………… 0.7 0.0 -1.2 -0.6 -0.6 0.2
4451 Grocery stores …………………….………… 0.9 0.2 -1.2 -0.5 -0.6 0.3
446 Health & personal care stores ……………… 0.5 1.6 2.0 2.1 -1.9 2.2
447 Gasoline stations ……………………..………… 15.5 18.1 1.3 -0.5 4.5 4.8
448 Clothing & clothing accessories
stores ……………………….……………………..… 0.0 7.2 2.8 8.7 1.1 6.8
451 Sporting goods, hobby, musical
instrument, & book stores ………………… 0.0 3.8 0.7 9.9 1.2 6.7
452 General merchandise stores………………… 1.0 2.5 0.0 1.2 0.8 1.8
4522 Department stores ………………………. 4.2 0.8 3.5 -4.9 -4.7 -4.0
453 Miscellaneous store retailers ……….……… -0.9 9.8 2.2 12.9 3.9 11.6
454 Nonstore retailers …………………….………… 1.0 10.1 1.2 8.5 3.2 9.6
722 Food services & drinking places …………. 0.1 2.4 0.5 5.4 0.0 3.8
(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, April 21, 2026. (Project No. P-7504206 / Approval CBDRB-FY26-003),
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 .
Table 3. Estimated Measures of Sampling Variability and Revision to Advance Estimates Mar. 2026
(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 ………………..………………………………… 1.0 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.0 0.1
Total (excl. motor vehicle & parts) ……… 1.3 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.0 0.1
Total (excl. gasoline stations) ……………… 1.0 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.0 0.1
Total (excl. motor vehicle & parts &
gasoline stations) ……………………………… 1.3 0.3 0.1 0.4 0.0 0.1
Retail, total …..…………………………………… 0.9 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.0 0.1
441 Motor vehicle & parts dealers ……………… 1.7 0.7 0.4 0.8 0.0 0.1
4411, 4412 Auto & other motor veh. dealers ……… 2.0 0.8 0.4 0.9 0.0 0.2
442 Furniture & home furn. stores……………… 2.6 1.8 0.8 1.9 -0.6 0.5
443 Electronics & appliance stores ……………… 2.3 1.1 0.7 1.2 0.3 0.3
444 Building material & garden eq. &
supplies dealers………………………………… 3.6 0.9 0.5 1.1 0.0 0.1
445 Food & beverage stores………………………… 0.6 0.2 0.1 0.4 0.0 0.2
4451 Grocery stores ………………………………. 0.6 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.0 0.2
446 Health & personal care stores ……………… 3.9 0.5 0.3 0.7 0.1 0.1
447 Gasoline stations ………………………………… 1.5 0.4 0.2 0.5 0.2 0.3
448 Clothing & clothing accessories
stores ………………………………………………… 3.2 1.1 0.6 1.1 0.2 0.4
451 Sporting goods, hobby, musical
instrument, & book stores ……………….. 3.4 1.2 0.8 1.5 -0.1 0.8
452 General merchandise stores………………… 1.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0
4522 Department stores ………………………… 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 -0.2 0.2
453 Miscellaneous store retailers ……………… 4.7 2.5 1.5 2.9 0.0 0.9
454 Nonstore retailers ………………………………… 2.7 0.3 0.4 1.0 -0.1 0.4
722 Food services & drinking places …………… 3.3 0.9 0.6 1.1 0.1 0.3
(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, April 21, 2026. (Project No. P-7504206 / Approval CBDRB-FY26-003),
Additional information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, sample design, and definitions may be found at
.