There were $697.6 billion in retail and food service sales in August, up 0.6% from the previous month and 2.5% from the prior year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Core retail sales—excluding automobiles and gasoline—increased 0.2% over the month and 3.6% for the year.
Retail trade sales increased 0.6% from July and 1.6% year-over-year. Sales at non-store retailers were up 7.2% from last year, while sales at food services and drinking places increased 8.5% from July 2022.
Sales at gasoline stations increased 5.2% after a 0.1% increase in June. However, gasoline station sales remain 10.3% below year-ago levels.
Read the Census release.