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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →U.S. retail sales rose for an 11th consecutive month in August 2026, according to the National Retail Federation’s CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor. On the monitor’s seasonally adjusted measure excluding auto dealers and gasoline stations, sales increased 0.22% from July and 3.87% from August 2025. The monitor’s narrower core measure, which also excludes restaurants, rose 0.17% month over month and 3.47% year over year.
What NRF’s August figures show
The figures cover August 2026 and were published by NRF on September 25. They are percentage changes, not dollar sales totals. Both the month-over-month and year-over-year rates are seasonally adjusted.
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| NRF measure | What it excludes | Change from July | Change from August 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total retail sales | Auto dealers and gasoline stations | +0.22% | +3.87% |
| Core retail sales | Auto dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants | +0.17% | +3.47% |
NRF defines total retail sales to exclude auto dealers and gas stations to reduce volatility and provide a broad view of consumer spending. Its core measure removes restaurants as well, focusing more narrowly on demand for retail goods. The two measures therefore describe different slices of spending; their growth rates should not be treated as interchangeable.
Why the 11-month streak needs a caveat
NRF characterized August as the 11th consecutive month of gains in its Retail Monitor. But NRF also introduced a new methodology with the August release and says the August month-over-month and year-over-year growth rates are not directly comparable with figures it published under the previous methodology, including July’s reported figures. The streak is NRF’s description of the series; it does not mean the published monthly rates on either side of the methodological change form a fully comparable sequence.
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Under the new approach, the monitor’s card data are weighted to reflect the makeup of U.S. consumers and projected to match Census Bureau retail-sales totals. NRF says the August year-over-year comparison is now seasonally adjusted, consistent with its month-over-month comparison. The organization said the full release, including enhanced sector detail and dollar levels, was expected in October during the transition.
NRF Monitor figures are not Census retail-sales estimates
The CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor uses actual, anonymized credit- and debit-card purchase data compiled by Affinity Solutions. The U.S. Census Bureau’s monthly retail-sales estimates are survey-based. These are different data sources and measurement approaches, so the August percentages above should be attributed to NRF’s monitor—not described as Census Bureau results.
NRF’s August release does not provide sector-by-sector results. It therefore does not establish which retail categories drove the overall increases. Nor does the information cited here provide an August 2026 Census figure for a direct numerical comparison.
What NRF said about consumer spending
NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said, “Retail sales climbed steadily once again in August.” He attributed household spending to “low unemployment and steady wage gains” and said consumers remained budget-conscious while taking advantage of back-to-school promotions. Those are Shay’s explanations in NRF’s release, not separate causal findings established by the reported sales figures.
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