There were $696.4 billion in retail and food service sales in July, up 0.7% from the previous month and 3.2% from the prior year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Core retail sales—excluding automobiles and gasoline—increased 1.0% over the month and 5.3% for the year.
Retail trade sales increased 0.6% from June and 2.0% year-over-year. Sales at non-store retailers were up 10.3% from last year, while sales at food services and drinking places increased 11.9% from July 2022.
Sales at gasoline stations increased 0.4% after a 1.3% decline in June. However, gasoline station sales remain 20.8% below year-ago levels.
Read the Census release.