US retail profits climbed to $112.3 billion in the second quarter of 2026, more than doubling from their year-earlier level, according to the Census Bureau. Sales also advanced, offering a stronger aggregate picture of large retail corporations during the period.
The agency’s Quarterly Financial Report for retail trade estimated seasonally adjusted after-tax profits were $45.1 billion higher than the $67.2 billion recorded in the first quarter. Profits increased by $51.7 billion from $60.6 billion in the second quarter of 2025.
US Retail Profits Outpaced the Increase in Sales
Seasonally adjusted sales totaled $1.171 trillion, rising by $28.5 billion from the first quarter and $88.7 billion from a year earlier. The much larger percentage increase in profits than in sales suggests aggregate margins improved substantially across the corporations covered by the survey.
The report covers U.S. retail corporations with assets of at least $50 million. It is an aggregate survey and does not show that every retail category or individual company experienced the same improvement. Changes in product mix, pricing, inventory costs and one-time items can all influence quarterly profitability.
US retail profits provide a useful complement to monthly retail-sales data because they indicate how much of the sector’s revenue growth is reaching the bottom line. Investors will watch upcoming company results and consumer-spending reports to determine whether the second-quarter margin improvement continued as borrowing costs and household budget pressures evolved.
