US retail sales rise 0.8% in September, with gasoline stations doing most of the work

US retail and food services sales rose 0.8 percent in September to 745.0 billion dollars, seasonally adjusted, the Census Bureau reported on October 15. Sales were 6.3 percent higher than in September 2025, and the July-to-August change was revised up from 1.1 percent to 1.3 percent. Sales for the third quarter as a whole were 5.5 percent above the same period a year ago.

The headline hides a narrower picture. The figures are not adjusted for price changes, and the largest contribution came from gasoline stations, where sales rose 6.4 percent in the month and 28.1 percent over the year. That mirrors the 9.1 percent monthly rise in gasoline prices reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the same month.

Excluding gasoline stations, sales rose 0.2 percent from August, and the Census Bureau flagged that this change was not statistically different from zero. Excluding both motor vehicles and gasoline, the increase was also 0.2 percent. Sales excluding motor vehicles and parts rose 0.9 percent.

Among other categories, food services and drinking places rose 1.1 percent on the month and 7.0 percent over the year. Furniture stores gained 1.3 percent and department stores 1.6 percent, while nonstore retailers, which include online sellers, rose 0.3 percent and were 8.2 percent higher than a year earlier. Building material dealers fell 0.6 percent and miscellaneous store retailers dropped 3.0 percent.

The report arrives as the Federal Reserve weighs whether to raise interest rates again at its October 27 to 28 meeting after lifting them in September. Spending that holds up mainly because fuel costs more adds to inflation while telling policymakers little about underlying demand. The next advance retail sales report, covering October, is scheduled for November 17.