U.S. Retail Sales Pass the $220 Billion Mark in April, 1998

August 13, 1998

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. -- Retail sales in the United States grew 7 percent from April

1997 to April 1998, according to statistics compiled by the Pennsylvania State Data

Center at Penn State Harrisburg. There was a 2.3 percent increase from March to April

1998 with total retail sales growing from $216.2 to $221.1 billion. Retail sales grew by 4

percent from the first quarter of 1997 to the first quarter of 1998.

Sales of durable goods rose 7.8 percent from April 1997 to April 1998 reaching

$95.1 billion in 1998. Within that category during the same period, building materials

sales rose to $14.9 billion, a 10.2 percent increase. The automotive group increased

7.4 percent to reach $57.9 billion and the furniture group hit $11.8 billion, up 6.9

percent.

The sales of non-durable goods reached $126 billion in April 1998, having

climbed 6.4 percent since the previous year and 2.2 percent from the previous month.

For this category, the greatest percent increase for the year was in apparel and

accessory stores at 16.8 percent, rising to $10.1 billion. The slowest growth was for

eating and drinking placeswhich reached $20.2 billion, a 3.8 percent increase. The largest

dollar amount sales increase was in the food group which rose 5.4 percent to $36.2 billion.

The state-sponsored Pennsylvania State Data Center is the Commonwealth's official

source of population and economic statistics and services. It is based at Penn State

Harrisburg's Institute of State and Regional Affairs.

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Editors: For more information, contact Amy Jonas at the Data Center's State Capital Office,

(717) 772-2710, or the Penn State Harrisburg's Public Information Office, (717) 948-6029.Source of Information: U.S. Census Bureau

Accompany Chart: April Retail Sales by Business 1997-1998

Accompany Table: Monthly Retail Sales -- January 1997 to March 1998