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Retail sales excluding auto dealers and gas stations reached $560.8 billion in September, up 0.28% from August and 4.05% from a year earlier, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor. The gains extended monthly growth to 12 consecutive months, while building and garden supply sales rose 2.66% year over year.
U.S. retail sales rose for the 12th consecutive month in September, reaching $560.8 billion excluding auto dealers and gasoline stations, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor released Oct. 8 by the National Retail Federation. Sales in that measure increased 0.28% from August and 4.05% from September 2025, even as the NRF said higher gasoline prices were taking a larger share of household budgets.
The seasonally adjusted total rose faster than in August, when sales increased 0.22% month over month and 3.87% year over year. The figures describe the Retail Monitor’s measure, which excludes auto dealers and gas stations; they are not a count of all consumer spending.
A narrower measure, which also excludes restaurants, put September core retail sales at $453.1 billion. That was up 0.27% from August and 3.73% from a year earlier. In August, core sales rose 0.17% month over month and 3.47% year over year, so both comparisons strengthened in September.
Sales in the building and garden supply sector totaled $44.0 billion, up 0.07% month over month and 2.66% year over year. Those results show positive annual growth in the sector, though the monthly increase was modest.
What September’s Gains Show
The report indicates that consumer purchases across the covered retail categories continued to expand, with both total and core sales posting larger monthly and annual increases than in August. For retailers, the figures offer a timely measure of demand heading into the fall shopping period; they also suggest that spending has not stopped despite pressure on household budgets.
The NRF’s account points to a split in household conditions: shoppers are still spending, but are concentrating on essentials and paying attention to value. That matters to businesses setting prices and promotions, including hardware and home-improvement retailers. The building and garden supply result shows annual growth, but the small monthly gain does not establish how sales will develop in coming months.
The figures should not be read as a direct measure of household financial health. The source reports sales values and growth rates, but does not provide detail here on inflation-adjusted volumes, household income, or changes in the number of transactions.
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How the Retail Monitor Measures Sales
The CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor is a sales measure released by the National Retail Federation. The figures in the report are seasonally adjusted and use separate category definitions: total retail sales exclude auto dealers and gasoline stations, while core retail sales exclude those categories and restaurants as well.
That distinction matters when comparing the headline total with the core figure. September’s $560.8 billion total and $453.1 billion core measure cover different sets of sales, so their dollar values should not be treated as like-for-like estimates of the same basket. The report compares each measure with its own August and year-earlier results.
What the September Figures Cannot Show
The release provides aggregate sales totals and percentage changes, but the source material does not give a breakdown by all retail categories or explain how much of the growth came from prices versus the volume of goods sold. It also does not quantify the effect of gasoline costs on household spending. Shay’s comments describe the NRF’s view of consumer behavior; the figures provided do not independently measure household budgets or shoppers’ reasons for purchasing.
The report does not specify whether September’s growth was broad across retailers or concentrated in particular businesses. Nor does the release establish whether the stronger year-over-year rates will continue. The sales data cover September and cannot, by themselves, predict spending later in the year.
Upcoming Sales Data to Watch
The next useful comparison will be the Retail Monitor’s October results, which can show whether monthly growth continued after September. Readers can also compare future releases across the same total and core definitions and watch the building and garden supply category for evidence of whether its modest monthly increase persists.
Until those figures are released, the confirmed picture is limited to September: sales increased on both monthly and yearly comparisons in the report’s main measures, and the 12-month run of consecutive growth continued. The source material does not provide a specific release date for the next update.
Key Questions
How much did retail sales increase in September?
The CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor reported that sales excluding auto dealers and gasoline stations rose 0.28% from August and 4.05% from a year earlier, reaching $560.8 billion. The figures are seasonally adjusted.
What does the 12th consecutive month of growth mean?
It means the Retail Monitor reported a month-over-month increase in its retail sales measure for September, extending the run of monthly gains to 12 months. It does not mean sales grew by the same amount every month.
What were September core retail sales?
The report put core retail sales at $453.1 billion. This measure excludes restaurants in addition to auto dealers and gasoline stations and rose 0.27% from August.
How did building and garden supply sales perform?
Sales in the building and garden supply sector totaled $44.0 billion, up 0.07% month over month and 2.66% year over year, according to the report.
Does the report show how gas prices affected shoppers?
No. The NRF said higher gasoline prices were absorbing a larger share of family budgets, but the figures provided do not quantify that effect or show how much it changed retail purchases.
Source: rss
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