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Retail sales excluding auto dealers and gasoline stations rose 0.22% seasonally adjusted from July in August, extending the monthly run of gains to 11 months. The same measure was up 3.87% from August 2025, while sales excluding restaurants, autos and gas stations rose 0.17% month over month.
U.S. retail sales rose in August for an 11th consecutive month, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor released by the National Retail Federation. Sales excluding auto dealers and gasoline stations increased 0.22% from July on a seasonally adjusted basis and were up 3.87% from a year earlier, extending a run of gains as households entered the back-to-school shopping period.
The monitor’s broad retail measure excludes sales at automobile dealers and gasoline stations. On that basis, the seasonally adjusted monthly increase slowed from 0.32% in July to 0.22% in August. The year-over-year increase also eased, from 5.15% in July to 3.87% in August. These are separate comparisons: one measures change from the prior month, while the other compares with the same month a year earlier.
A narrower measure that also excludes restaurants showed a similar slowdown. Core retail sales rose 0.17% month over month in August, compared with a 0.3% increase in July. Year over year, core sales were up 3.47% in August, down from 4.72% in July. The reported figures are seasonally adjusted; the source does not provide dollar totals or a breakdown of August performance by individual retail category.
NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said households were managing budgets while taking advantage of back-to-school promotions. He also pointed to low unemployment and steady wage gains as support for spending. Those explanations are Shay’s assessment of consumer conditions, rather than additional measures reported in the sales figures themselves.
August Gains Extend Retail Momentum
The 11-month run indicates that the monitor recorded a monthly increase in each of those months, offering retailers a sustained sequence of growth to track. The latest report also shows that the pace was more modest in August than in July under both the broad measure and the core measure. That change matters to businesses planning inventory, promotions and staffing, although a single month’s result does not establish whether the slower growth will continue.
The annual comparisons give another view of the trend: sales remained above their year-earlier levels in both categories, but the August growth rates were below July’s. For shoppers, the report describes the retail market in aggregate; it does not show whether prices, purchase volumes or spending patterns in particular categories drove the changes. The figures can help frame discussion of consumer spending, but they do not by themselves explain why sales rose or how household budgets are faring.
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How August Compares With July
The CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor provides monthly retail sales estimates. In the figures cited in the September 28 report, the headline measure excludes automobile dealers and gasoline stations. The core measure removes those categories and restaurants as well. Because the categories included differ, the two measures provide related but distinct snapshots of sales.
In July, the broad measure rose 0.32% from June and 5.15% from July 2025. Core sales increased 0.3% from June and 4.72% from a year earlier. August then brought smaller monthly and annual growth rates on both measures. The source identifies the August increase as the 11th consecutive month of gains, but does not give the monthly figures for every preceding month.
Sales Drivers Remain Unspecified
The report does not identify which retail categories contributed most to August’s increase, or how much of the change reflected prices compared with the number of goods sold. It also does not provide dollar values, regional results or details about sales at individual retailers. The reported totals therefore cannot show how evenly the gains were distributed across businesses or households.
The source attributes consumer spending partly to low unemployment, steady wage gains and back-to-school promotions through Shay’s comments. It does not include supporting employment or wage data in the report excerpt, nor does it quantify the effect of promotions. The figures also do not establish whether the slower growth compared with July marks a lasting change in the pace of retail sales.
Upcoming Reports Will Test the Trend
The next monthly retail sales release will show whether the run of gains continued after August and whether month-over-month growth accelerated, held near its August pace or weakened. Readers can also compare the next broad and core measures with their August results, while keeping each measure’s category exclusions in mind.
The source material does not specify a release date for the next CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor or forecast future sales. Until another report is available, August remains the latest month covered here: sales increased on both reported measures, but at slower monthly and annual rates than in July.
Key Questions
How much did retail sales rise in August?
The measure excluding auto dealers and gasoline stations rose 0.22% from July, seasonally adjusted. It was up 3.87% from August 2025.
What does the report mean by core retail sales?
In this report, core retail sales exclude auto dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants. That measure increased 0.17% month over month in August and 3.47% year over year.
Was August growth faster than July growth?
No. The broad measure rose 0.22% month over month in August, compared with 0.32% in July. Core sales rose 0.17% in August, compared with 0.3% in July.
What does the report say contributed to sales?
NRF chief executive Matthew Shay cited low unemployment, steady wage gains and back-to-school promotions. The report excerpt does not quantify the effect of those factors or provide category-level results.
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