US Retail Sales Rise to 6.01% in August

US retail sales rose to 6.01% year over year in August 2026, from 5.03% in July. This marks the second consecutive monthly increase, following a decline in June. The latest reading remains well below the all-time high of 51.85% recorded in April 2021, and above the all-time low of -19.69% from April 2020. Compared with a year earlier, the pace accelerated from 4.73% in August 2025. The data series, which began in January 1993, shows the August figure is the third-highest in the past year, trailing May's 7.23% and June's 6.82%, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.