Online Shopping Statistics: U.S. Retail E-Commerce
Published September 15, 2026 · StatsGalore
E-commerce share of retail sales, seasonally adjusted [1]
U.S. retail e-commerce sales were estimated at $340.2 billion in the second quarter of 2026 after seasonal adjustment. They represented 17.1% of total retail sales. The Census Bureau's estimate is preliminary and measures sales value, not the percentage of people who shop online. [1]
The numbers
| Measure | Seasonally adjusted result | Source |
|---|---|---|
| E-commerce sales | $340.2 billion | [1] |
| Total retail sales | $1,986.5 billion | [1] |
| E-commerce share of total retail sales | 17.1% | [1] |
| E-commerce change from prior quarter | +3.8% | [1] |
| E-commerce change from a year earlier | +12.2% | [1] |
| Total retail change from a year earlier | +6.7% | [1] |
Sales share is not shopper share
The e-commerce percentage divides online retail sales value by total retail sales value. It does not identify how many adults bought something online or how frequently shoppers placed orders.
Someone making a large purchase can contribute more sales value than many people making small purchases. Consumer participation surveys and retail revenue surveys therefore answer different questions.
[1]What seasonal adjustment changes
Seasonal adjustment is intended to account for recurring patterns such as holiday shopping. It makes comparisons between quarters more useful, but it is not the same as adjusting for inflation.
The source explicitly states that its adjusted estimates are not adjusted for price changes. Higher dollar sales can reflect prices as well as quantities. Describing the growth rate as growth in the number of goods purchased would be unsupported.
[1]The retail boundary excludes some online activity
The Census report excludes activities outside its retail definition, including online travel services, financial brokers and dealers, and ticket sales agencies. It is not a measure of every transaction made over the internet.
The current series covers businesses with paid employees. The report explains that nonemployers were removed from the series in the annual revision released in April 2025. That coverage change matters when using older downloaded versions of the data.
[1]Adjusted and unadjusted figures should stay separate
The report also provides an unadjusted e-commerce estimate of $329.5 billion and an unadjusted share of 16.4%. Those figures are not errors or competing estimates of the same adjusted concept.
Choose the adjusted series for a comparison intended to account for recurring seasonality, and label the choice. Do not divide an unadjusted numerator by an adjusted denominator. The latest quarter is preliminary and can be revised.
[1]Sources & notes
Census Bureau Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales, released August 18, 2026. Main table figures are seasonally adjusted, not price adjusted. Second-quarter estimates are preliminary; reported changes include sampling uncertainty.
Source review: 2026-09-15. Article publication and underlying data dates are separate. How we use statistics · Suggest a correction