Retail sales in March grew at the fastest pace in over two years, underscoring how American consumers accelerated their spending ahead of anticipated price distortions stemming from President Donald Trump‘s tariffs.
According to advance estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, retail and food services sales rose to $734.9 billion in March 2025. That’s up 1.4% from the previous month. This marked a sharp acceleration from February’s 0.2% gain and exceeded economists’ expectations for a 1.3% increase.
Year-over-year, retail sales climbed 4.6%, the strongest annual growth since February 2023 and a notable improvement from the prior month’s 3.1% increase.
The most significant contributor …