U.S. retail reference
U.S. online shopping statistics: 2026.
A Q2 2026 snapshot of how Americans were buying online, using the most recently released quarterly retail e-commerce figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Reviewed October 12, 2026
The short version
Online retail keeps taking a larger slice of the cart.
The latest Census figures show e-commerce growing faster than total retail sales in the United States. The figures below use seasonally adjusted estimates so quarter-to-quarter comparisons are more useful.
$340.2B
U.S. retail e-commerce sales in Q2 2026
The seasonally adjusted estimate for April through June 2026, before adjusting for price changes.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, August 18, 2026+12.2%
Year-over-year e-commerce sales growth
Seasonally adjusted online retail sales grew from Q2 2025 to Q2 2026.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, August 18, 2026+3.8%
Quarter-over-quarter e-commerce sales growth
Online retail sales increased from Q1 2026 to Q2 2026 after seasonal adjustment.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, August 18, 2026$1.99T
Total U.S. retail sales in Q2 2026
The seasonally adjusted estimate across all retail sales, online and in person.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, August 18, 2026+6.7%
Year-over-year growth in total U.S. retail sales
Total retail sales rose from Q2 2025 to Q2 2026, while e-commerce grew faster.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, August 18, 2026Reading the numbers
What these figures measure.
Retail e-commerce sales are purchases made online from U.S. retail businesses. They do not represent all online spending, so services such as travel, tickets, and many subscriptions are outside this retail measure.
The Census Bureau publishes both adjusted and unadjusted figures. This page uses adjusted figures for the headline comparisons because they reduce the effect of predictable seasonal shopping swings.
Sources and method
Built for easy reference.
Every statistic on this page comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales report published on August 18, 2026. Dollar figures are rounded here for readability, while percentages are shown as reported.
The Census Bureau notes that revised estimates are scheduled for its Q3 2026 release on November 19, 2026. This reference will be refreshed when those figures are available.
Read the U.S. Census Bureau retail e-commerce releaseCite this page
Rayline Variety. "U.S. Online Shopping Statistics: 2026." Reviewed October 12, 2026. https://raylinevariety.com/online-shopping-statistics
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