US retail sales rise 0.5% in April, led by gasoline stations, online retailers

US retail sales rose 0.5% in April on a monthly basis, in line with market expectations, official figures showed Thursday.

Retail and food services sales, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences but not for price changes, reached $757.1 billion in April, the Commerce Department’s Census Bureau said.

The April figure followed a downwardly revised 1.6% monthly increase in March, compared with the previously reported 1.7% gain.

Sales were up 4.9% from April 2025, while total sales for the February-April period rose 4.4% from the same period a year earlier.

Retail trade sales also increased 0.5% month-on-month in April and were 5.2% higher than a year earlier.

Among major categories, gasoline stations posted the strongest monthly increase with a 2.8% rise, followed by electronics and appliance stores and sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument and book stores, all up 1.4%.

Non-store retailers, which include online sellers, rose 1.1% from March and jumped 11.1% from April 2025, showing continued strength in e-commerce spending.

Food and beverage stores climbed 0.8%, while food services and drinking places increased 0.6% on a monthly basis and were up 2.7% year-on-year.

Furniture and home furnishing stores recorded the steepest monthly decline, falling 2%, followed by clothing and clothing accessories stores, down 1.5%, and motor vehicle and parts dealers, down 0.4%.

The figures come as US consumer spending remains closely watched for signs of resilience amid elevated energy costs and uncertainty over the inflation outlook following the Iran war’s impact on global oil prices.