US consumer spending continued to show resilience in February, with retail activity rising for a fifth consecutive month and posting broad-based year-on-year gains across nearly all major store categories. Fresh figures from the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor, powered by Affinity Solutions and released by the National Retail Federation, indicate that US retail sales February 2026 advanced 0.28% on a seasonally adjusted basis from January, excluding automobile dealers and gasoline stations. On an unadjusted basis, sales were 6.24% higher than the same month a year earlier.
The February results build on January’s momentum, when sales rose 0.2% month over month and increased 5.72% year over year.
A similar pattern was evident in “core” retail defined as sales excluding restaurants, auto dealers and gas stations. Core retail sales increased 0.27% from January to February and were up 5.87% compared with February 2025. By comparison, January core sales had risen 0.15% month over month and 5.51% year over year.
Across the first two months of 2026, the Monitor showed total retail sales up 6.04% versus the same period last year, while core sales increased 5.76%, reinforcing the view that demand remained solid heading into the early part of the year.
Category performance: apparel out front
The data suggests apparel was one of the strongest contributors to February’s growth. Clothing and accessories stores recorded a 0.66% month-on-month increase on a seasonally adjusted basis and an 11.05% jump year on year on an unadjusted basis—one of the largest gains among the tracked categories.
General merchandise stores also advanced, up 0.27% from January on a seasonally adjusted basis and 7.77% higher than a year earlier on an unadjusted basis. Sporting goods, hobby, music and bookstores were essentially flat month to month, slipping 0.02% on a seasonally adjusted basis, but still posted a 6.53% year-on-year increase unadjusted.
Overall, eight of the nine retail categories tracked by the Retail Monitor registered year-on-year growth in February, with clothing stores, health and personal care outlets, and general merchandise stores delivering the largest increases. Month to month, five categories posted gains.
NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay said: “Despite harsh winter weather, consumer spending grew once again in February, supported by continued wage gains and overall low unemployment levels.
“This was the fifth consecutive month that sales rose from the month before, and year-over-year gains were strong. With renewed fighting in the Middle East and its impact on global economies, retailers remain heavily focused on delivering products at competitive prices to value conscious consumers.”
Imports outlook: still subdued versus last year
Alongside the retail snapshot, the NRF pointed to a softer imports picture at major US gateways, as the industry evaluates the wider economic effects of the ongoing conflict involving Iran. The Global Port Tracker report, produced by the NRF and Hackett Associates, said US ports handled 2.08m twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) in January 2026, representing a 6.4% decline compared with January 2025. The report projects that imports through the first half of 2026 will remain below 2025 levels.
Taken together, the data suggests US retail sales February 2026 remained on a steady upward path, even as retailers and logistics networks keep a close watch on external risks that could influence pricing, inventory flows and consumer demand in the months ahead.
