In the U.S. Census Bureau’s Q2 2026 estimate, ecommerce represented 17.1% of total retail sales on a seasonally adjusted basis. Ecommerce sales grew faster year over year than total retail sales, but the figures measure how orders are placed—not a simple split between online-only companies and stores. The estimates were published August 18, 2026; the Census Bureau later said revised estimates were scheduled for the Q3 release on November 19, 2026.
What percentage of U.S. retail sales are ecommerce?
In Q2 2026, seasonally adjusted U.S. retail ecommerce sales were estimated at $340.2 billion, out of $1,986.5 billion in total retail sales. Ecommerce’s share was 17.1%. These Census Bureau estimates are adjusted for seasonal variation but not for price changes, so they describe nominal sales rather than inflation-adjusted activity.
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The same release also gives estimates that are not seasonally adjusted: ecommerce sales of $329.5 billion and a 16.4% share of total sales. Keep the two bases separate: the 17.1% figure belongs with the seasonally adjusted estimates, while 16.4% belongs with the not-adjusted estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales, Q2 2026.
Is ecommerce growing faster than total retail sales?
Yes, by the year-over-year rates reported for Q2 2026. Ecommerce sales increased 12.2% (±0.9%) compared with Q2 2025, while total retail sales increased 6.7% (±0.5%). The quarter-over-quarter increases were 3.8% (±0.4%) for ecommerce and 2.9% (±0.2%) for total retail sales.
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Growth rates describe the change in aggregate sales, not the performance of every retailer. They do not show that every ecommerce business outperformed every store-based business, nor do they isolate the effect of prices from changes in sales volume.
How much retail still happens in physical stores?
The 17.1% ecommerce share does not mean that precisely 82.9% of sales took place inside physical stores. Census classifies ecommerce by the way an order is placed or its price and terms are negotiated. The remaining share is simply sales not classified as ecommerce under that definition; it should not automatically be treated as a pure in-store total.
Nor does the ecommerce figure represent sales made only by online-only companies. A retailer may operate both stores and an ecommerce division. Census says companies provide separate information for their brick-and-mortar stores and ecommerce divisions; ecommerce divisions that do not fulfill orders from stores are generally included in the electronic shopping and mail-order houses category.
What counts as ecommerce in Census retail statistics?
The Census Bureau counts a sale as ecommerce when a buyer places an order or negotiates its price and terms through the internet, a mobile device, an extranet, an electronic data interchange (EDI) network, email, or another comparable online system. Payment does not have to happen online. For example, an order placed online and paid for at pickup can still qualify.
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This channel-based definition is useful for measuring online ordering, but it is not identical to the distinction between retailers that have stores and those that do not. Census Bureau: Measuring the Electronic Economy.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How current are the Q2 2026 figures?
The Q2 report was dated August 18, 2026. The Census Bureau’s quarterly report page states that, as of September 28, 2026, it no longer contained the most up-to-date estimates; revised figures were scheduled for the Q3 2026 quarterly release on November 19, 2026. Treat the Q2 numbers as estimates for that reporting period, not immutable final values.
The Census Bureau also notes that revised monthly retail estimates were released September 28, 2026, with another update scheduled for November 16, 2026. Its monthly, annual, and quarterly programs work together to measure U.S. retail activity. The Annual Retail Trade Survey transitioned into the Annual Integrated Economic Survey, which began collecting data in March 2024. Census Bureau: Monthly & Annual Retail Trade and Census Bureau: Annual Retail Trade Survey.
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How to use these statistics
- For market sizing: Use the 17.1% adjusted share to describe ecommerce’s portion of Q2 2026 U.S. retail sales, and identify the period and adjustment basis.
- For momentum: Compare the year-over-year rates—12.2% for ecommerce and 6.7% for total retail—without treating aggregate growth as a forecast for an individual company.
- For channel comparisons: Remember that Census classifies transactions by how orders are placed or terms negotiated, not simply by retailer ownership, payment method, or where a package is fulfilled.
- For planning: These national estimates do not establish results for a particular retailer, region, category, or store. Census notes that businesses use its retail statistics for market-share measurement, business-potential analysis, and investment planning.
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