CB-04-171

The Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce announced today that advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for September, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $341.3 billion, an increase of 1.5 percent (±0.7%) from the previous month and up 7.7 percent (±1.0%) from September 2003. Total sales for the July through September 2004 period were up 6.5 percent (±0.7%) from the same period a year ago. The July to August 2004 percent change was revised from -0.3 percent (±0.8%) to -0.2 percent (±0.2%).

Retail trade sales were up 1.5 percent (±0.8%) from August 2004 and were 7.5 percent (±1.0%) above last year. Gasoline station sales were up 15.1 percent (±2.1%) from September 2003 and sales of building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers were up 14.4 percent (±2.3%) from last year.

The advance estimates are based on a subsample of the Census Bureau's full retail and food services sample. A stratified random sampling method is used to select approximately 5,000 retail and food services firms whose sales are then weighted and benchmarked to represent the complete universe of over three million retail and food services firms. Responding firms account for approximately 65% of the MARTS dollar volume estimate. For an explanation of the measures of sampling variability included in this report, please see the Reliability of Estimates section on the last page of this publication.

Percent Change in Retail and Food Services Sales
(Estimates adjusted for seasonal variation, holiday, and trading-day differences, but not for price changes)

The Advance Monthly Retail Sales Report for October is scheduled to be released November 12, 2004 at 8:30 a.m.

Address inquiries concerning this report to Scott Scheleur, Service Sector Statistics Division, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, D.C. 20233. Telephone: (301) 763-2713.

This report is available the day of issue through the Department of Commerce's online Economic Bulletin Board. For information call (202) 482-1986.

Source: U. S. Census Bureau 
        Service Sector Statistics Division

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