HomeDashboardE-commerce share

Analysis 02 of 10E-commerce

How much of US retail has moved online?

What share of US retail sales is e-commerce, and how has that share moved since 1999?

The short answer E-commerce was 0.6% of US retail sales in 1999 Q4 and 17.1% in 2026 Q2 (preliminary, seasonally adjusted), the highest reading in the series. The biggest move came with the pandemic, from 11.2% in 2019 Q4 to 16.3% in 2020 Q2. After a step back in 2021 the share kept climbing, because online sales grew faster than retail as a whole.

  • Public data, not my business
  • 2026 Q2 preliminary
  • 2026 Q1 and 2025 Q2 revised
  • Census revision due Nov 19, 2026
Source
US Census Bureau, Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales (time series workbooks), cross-checked with FRED
Period
1999 Q4 to 2026 Q2 (107 quarters)
Licence
Public domain (US federal government work)
Charts
4, each with its data table and CSV

Key figures

  • 17.1%E-commerce share of US retail2026 Q2, preliminary, seasonally adjusted
  • 0.6%First quarter in the series1999 Q4
  • 11.2% to 16.3%The pandemic jump2019 Q4 to 2020 Q2, +5.1 points
  • $340,244ME-commerce sales in the quarter2026 Q2, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
  • 16.4%Share before seasonal adjustment2026 Q2, preliminary

The charts

Chart 1Lead chart · long-run trend

E-commerce went from 0.6% to 17.1% of US retail sales.

How has the online share of US retail moved since 1999?

A steady climb for two decades, a jump with the pandemic (11.2% in 2019 Q4 to 16.3% in 2020 Q2), a step back in 2021, then new highs. The latest quarter, 2026 Q2, is preliminary.
Download CSV

US Census Bureau · public data, not my business

Share since 1999: 107 rows. Column E-commerce as a Percent of Total, Census time series workbook (adjusted), as stored in ecommerce_share.json. Status as flagged by Census.
QuarterE-commerce share, seasonally adjusted (%)Census status
1999 Q40.6
2000 Q10.8
2000 Q20.9
2000 Q31
2000 Q41
2001 Q11.1
2001 Q21.1
2001 Q31.1
2001 Q41.2
2002 Q11.3
2002 Q21.4
2002 Q31.5
2002 Q41.5
2003 Q11.6
2003 Q21.7
2003 Q31.8
2003 Q41.9
2004 Q12
2004 Q22
2004 Q32.1
2004 Q42.2
2005 Q12.3
2005 Q22.4
2005 Q32.5
2005 Q42.6
2006 Q12.7
2006 Q22.8
2006 Q32.9
2006 Q43.1
2007 Q13.2
2007 Q23.3
2007 Q33.5
2007 Q43.5
2008 Q13.6
2008 Q23.6
2008 Q33.6
2008 Q43.6
2009 Q13.8
2009 Q23.9
2009 Q34.1
2009 Q44.1
2010 Q14.2
2010 Q24.4
2010 Q34.6
2010 Q44.6
2011 Q14.7
2011 Q24.8
2011 Q34.9
2011 Q45.1
2012 Q15.2
2012 Q25.3
2012 Q35.5
2012 Q45.6
2013 Q15.6
2013 Q25.8
2013 Q35.9
2013 Q46.1
2014 Q16.2
2014 Q26.3
2014 Q36.5
2014 Q46.6
2015 Q16.9
2015 Q27
2015 Q37.2
2015 Q47.4
2016 Q17.7
2016 Q27.8
2016 Q38
2016 Q48.2
2017 Q18.4
2017 Q28.7
2017 Q38.9
2017 Q49.1
2018 Q19.4
2018 Q29.6
2018 Q39.7
2018 Q49.9
2019 Q110
2019 Q210.3
2019 Q310.8
2019 Q411.2
2020 Q111.9
2020 Q216.3
2020 Q314.9
2020 Q415
2021 Q114.9
2021 Q214.6
2021 Q314.5
2021 Q414.6
2022 Q114.4
2022 Q214.2
2022 Q314.5
2022 Q414.6
2023 Q115
2023 Q215.3
2023 Q315.4
2023 Q415.5
2024 Q115.9
2024 Q216.1
2024 Q316.2
2024 Q416.2
2025 Q116
2025 Q216.3revised
2025 Q316.4
2025 Q416.7
2026 Q117revised
2026 Q217.1preliminary

Chart 2Year-over-year change

The pandemic quarter added 6.0 points in a year; 2021 gave 1.7 back.

How fast is the share changing?

Each bar is a quarter's share minus the same quarter a year earlier. The largest rise was 6.0 points in 2020 Q2, the largest fall -1.7 in 2021 Q2. Every quarter since 2023 Q1 has been above the year before.
Download CSV

US Census Bureau · public data, not my business

Year over year: 103 rows. Computed on this page from the seasonally adjusted share: each quarter minus the same quarter one year earlier, rounded to 0.1 point (the share itself is published to 0.1).
QuarterChange from a year earlier (percentage points)
2000 Q40.4
2001 Q10.3
2001 Q20.2
2001 Q30.1
2001 Q40.2
2002 Q10.2
2002 Q20.3
2002 Q30.4
2002 Q40.3
2003 Q10.3
2003 Q20.3
2003 Q30.3
2003 Q40.4
2004 Q10.4
2004 Q20.3
2004 Q30.3
2004 Q40.3
2005 Q10.3
2005 Q20.4
2005 Q30.4
2005 Q40.4
2006 Q10.4
2006 Q20.4
2006 Q30.4
2006 Q40.5
2007 Q10.5
2007 Q20.5
2007 Q30.6
2007 Q40.4
2008 Q10.4
2008 Q20.3
2008 Q30.1
2008 Q40.1
2009 Q10.2
2009 Q20.3
2009 Q30.5
2009 Q40.5
2010 Q10.4
2010 Q20.5
2010 Q30.5
2010 Q40.5
2011 Q10.5
2011 Q20.4
2011 Q30.3
2011 Q40.5
2012 Q10.5
2012 Q20.5
2012 Q30.6
2012 Q40.5
2013 Q10.4
2013 Q20.5
2013 Q30.4
2013 Q40.5
2014 Q10.6
2014 Q20.5
2014 Q30.6
2014 Q40.5
2015 Q10.7
2015 Q20.7
2015 Q30.7
2015 Q40.8
2016 Q10.8
2016 Q20.8
2016 Q30.8
2016 Q40.8
2017 Q10.7
2017 Q20.9
2017 Q30.9
2017 Q40.9
2018 Q11
2018 Q20.9
2018 Q30.8
2018 Q40.8
2019 Q10.6
2019 Q20.7
2019 Q31.1
2019 Q41.3
2020 Q11.9
2020 Q26
2020 Q34.1
2020 Q43.8
2021 Q13
2021 Q2-1.7
2021 Q3-0.4
2021 Q4-0.4
2022 Q1-0.5
2022 Q2-0.4
2022 Q30
2022 Q40
2023 Q10.6
2023 Q21.1
2023 Q30.9
2023 Q40.9
2024 Q10.9
2024 Q20.8
2024 Q30.8
2024 Q40.7
2025 Q10.1
2025 Q20.2
2025 Q30.2
2025 Q40.5
2026 Q11
2026 Q20.8

Chart 3Breakdown: online against total

Since 2019, online sales grew far faster than retail as a whole.

Is the share rising because online sales grew, or because the rest of retail shrank?

Both are indexed to 2019 Q4 = 100, seasonally adjusted dollars, not adjusted for price changes. By 2026 Q2 e-commerce sales were at 226.5 and total retail at 147.8: the share rose because online sales grew faster, not because retail shrank.
Download CSV

US Census Bureau · public data, not my business

Sales growth: 46 rows. Computed on this page from the seasonally adjusted dollar columns (ecom_sa_musd, retail_sa_musd): value / 2019 Q4 value x 100, rounded to 0.1.
QuarterE-commerce sales index (2019 Q4 = 100)Total retail sales index (2019 Q4 = 100)E-commerce sales ($ millions)Total retail sales ($ millions)
2015 Q152.384.878,5681,139,793
2015 Q254.086.281,1651,158,247
2015 Q355.987.084,0201,170,074
2015 Q457.786.786,6621,165,147
2016 Q159.686.889,5591,166,510
2016 Q261.587.892,4321,180,524
2016 Q363.688.695,4841,191,635
2016 Q465.589.598,3891,203,431
2017 Q168.391.1102,5581,224,054
2017 Q270.891.1106,4061,224,810
2017 Q373.292.1109,9301,237,740
2017 Q476.694.3115,1601,267,768
2018 Q179.594.8119,4911,273,796
2018 Q281.995.8123,0421,288,247
2018 Q383.796.4125,8071,295,539
2018 Q486.197.0129,3531,303,438
2019 Q186.796.7130,1881,299,636
2019 Q290.298.4135,5481,322,365
2019 Q395.999.6144,1301,338,378
2019 Q4100.0100.0150,2451,344,310
2020 Q1104.497.9156,9161,316,700
2020 Q2138.594.8208,1121,274,053
2020 Q3141.4106.2212,3751,428,271
2020 Q4144.5107.5217,1601,444,791
2021 Q1151.7113.8227,9491,530,016
2021 Q2157.1120.4236,0101,618,940
2021 Q3154.5118.9232,1681,597,728
2021 Q4159.6122.3239,8251,643,720
2022 Q1162.4126.3243,9781,698,519
2022 Q2165.0129.9247,9671,746,343
2022 Q3167.7129.4251,9881,739,909
2022 Q4168.2128.7252,6561,730,481
2023 Q1175.0130.7262,9651,756,941
2023 Q2179.5130.8269,7381,758,830
2023 Q3183.2132.7275,1761,783,404
2023 Q4184.2132.7276,7811,783,340
2024 Q1188.4132.3283,0381,778,119
2024 Q2192.2133.6288,8221,796,027
2024 Q3196.5135.3295,2491,818,189
2024 Q4199.9137.7300,3291,850,829
2025 Q1198.1138.2297,7011,857,201
2025 Q2201.9138.5303,2841,861,603
2025 Q3206.9140.8310,8171,893,125
2025 Q4211.7141.4317,9991,900,653
2026 Q1218.2143.6327,8611,929,759
2026 Q2226.5147.8340,2441,986,488

Chart 4Seasonality

Without seasonal adjustment, the share jumps every fourth quarter.

How much does the holiday quarter move the raw share?

The unadjusted share spikes each Q4 and falls back in Q1. In 2025 Q4 it was 18.3% unadjusted against 16.7% adjusted. Compare unadjusted figures only with the same quarter of another year.
Download CSV

US Census Bureau · public data, not my business

Holiday quarter: 34 rows. pct_nsa and pct_sa as stored in ecommerce_share.json, from the two Census workbooks.
QuarterNot seasonally adjusted (%)Seasonally adjusted (%)
2018 Q19.29.4
2018 Q299.6
2018 Q39.29.7
2018 Q411.29.9
2019 Q19.910
2019 Q29.710.3
2019 Q310.210.8
2019 Q412.411.2
2020 Q111.711.9
2020 Q215.516.3
2020 Q314.214.9
2020 Q416.615
2021 Q114.714.9
2021 Q213.914.6
2021 Q313.814.5
2021 Q41614.6
2022 Q114.214.4
2022 Q213.514.2
2022 Q313.814.5
2022 Q41614.6
2023 Q114.815
2023 Q214.615.3
2023 Q314.815.4
2023 Q417.115.5
2024 Q115.515.9
2024 Q215.316.1
2024 Q315.616.2
2024 Q417.816.2
2025 Q115.916
2025 Q215.516.3
2025 Q315.816.4
2025 Q418.316.7
2026 Q116.717
2026 Q216.417.1

01Findings

What the charts say.

  1. The share rose from 0.6% in 1999 Q4 to 17.1% in 2026 Q2, the series high (preliminary).

    Chart 1

  2. The pandemic added 6.0 points in a year (2020 Q2 against 2019 Q2); 2021 Q2 was 1.7 points below a year earlier. Every quarter since 2023 Q1 has been above the same quarter a year before.

    Chart 2

  3. Indexed to 2019 Q4, e-commerce sales reached 226.5 and total retail 147.8 by 2026 Q2: the share is up because online grew faster.

    Chart 3

  4. The unadjusted share swings with the holiday quarter (18.3% in 2025 Q4), so I use the seasonally adjusted line for trends.

    Chart 4

02Method

How the figures were built.

Steps

  1. No API. Downloaded the two Census time series workbooks above (sheets 'Time Series Adjusted' and 'Time Series Not Adjusted'), took every quarter row (column 'E-commerce as a Percent of Total', plus the two dollar columns). Cross-check: every pct value in both Census files equals the FRED fredgraph.csv value for the same quarter (0 mismatches over 107 quarters, both series).
  2. pct_sa is the headline: seasonally adjusted, not adjusted for price changes, as published by Census. pct_nsa is the not seasonally adjusted alternative (it swings with the holiday quarter, so use it only for same-quarter comparisons).

107 quarters, 1999 Q4 to 2026 Q2 (107 quarters). Unit: Percent of total US retail sales (pct_*); millions of US dollars (*_musd). Every derived figure on this page (changes, indexes, averages, counts) is computed from the published rows, and the table under each chart says how.

Checks

  • A fresh re-run of the build script gives output identical to the stored file.
  • All 107 quarters of both Census workbooks equal FRED (ECOMPCTSA and ECOMPCTNSA) for the percent: 0 mismatches.
  • The percent recomputes from the two dollar columns, round(e-commerce / retail x 100, 1), for all 107 quarters, adjusted and not adjusted.
  • Table 1 of the Census release PDF matches the latest five quarters on both bases (2026 Q2: $340,244 and $1,986,488 million, 17.1% and 16.4%).
  • Spot check by the reviewer: FRED ECOMPCTSA for 2026 Q2 is 17.1.

Where the data comes from

This series is not in Live SQL. The data file behind every chart is data/analyses/ecommerce_share.json, built by data/analyses/scripts/build_ecommerce_share.py from the source downloads.

Caveats

  • Census figures for the most recent quarters are preliminary and get revised; the quarter flagged preliminary may change. Census revised its monthly retail estimates on September 28, 2026, after the release this file is built from, and says the revised quarterly e-commerce figures will appear in the 3rd quarter 2026 release on November 19, 2026, so the values here are the August 18, 2026 vintage. E-commerce here means sales where an order is placed or price and terms are negotiated over an Internet, extranet, EDI, email or comparable online system, payment may or may not be online; it covers retailers with paid employees only (before the April 2025 benchmark release, estimates also included nonemployers, so the pre-2025 history in the current files is on the revised basis, not the older published basis). Percent is rounded to one decimal by Census. Not adjusted for price changes. Census figures only describe US retail trade, not the site owner's business.

Releases and revisions

  • Census release dated Tuesday, August 18, 2026; time series files marked 'Last Revised: August 18, 2026'.
  • As of September 28, 2026 this report no longer contains the most up to date estimates. Revised not adjusted estimates and corresponding adjusted estimates will be reflected in the 3rd Quarter 2026 Quarterly E-commerce Sales release on November 19, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. EDT.

03Sources

Sources and licence.

US Census Bureau data are US federal government works, public domain; cite the Census Bureau as the source. FRED redistributes the same series. Public data, not my business.

Download the chart data

Each CSV is made in your browser from the rows in that chart's table.

All ten analyses on the Dashboard

04Contact

Want this kind of breakdown on your own data?

Open to e-commerce, data and operations roles. Los Angeles or remote.

zacharybhenley@gmail.com Book a 30-minute call