There were $700.3 billion in retail and food service sales in January, down 0.8% from the previous month and up 0.6% from January 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Core retail sales—excluding automobiles and gasoline—decreased 0.5% over the month and increased 2.2% for the year.
Retail trade sales were up 1.1% from December 2023, and down 0.2% year-over-year. Sales at furniture & home furnishing stores were down 9.8% from the past year, while sales at building material & garden equipment & supplies dealers decreased 8.3%. Sales at sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, & book stores and miscellaneous store retailers fell 3.2% and 2.7%, respectively, from year-ago levels. There were increases in sales at nonstore retailers (6.4%), food services & drinking places (6.3%), and health & personal care stores (5.0%) from January 2023.
Sales at gasoline stations decreased 1.7% in January, following a 0.8% decline in December. Gasoline station sales remain 7.5% below year-ago levels.
Read the Census release.