Personal spending in the United States increased by 0.6% in August 2026 compared to the previous month, marking the highest growth since March 2025. While this growth surpasses the 0.1% increase in July, analyses indicate that a significant portion of this increase is due to spending on goods and services.
Increase in Goods Spending
Spending on goods increased by 1.3% in August 2026, indicating a recovery from a 0.5% decrease in the previous month. This growth is primarily driven by increased costs in the automotive and parts sector (2.6% compared to -0.8%), recreational goods and vehicles (1.9% compared to -2.7%), and other non-durable goods (1.5% compared to -0.3%). In contrast, spending on gasoline and other energy goods remained unchanged this month, following a 0.3% increase in the previous month.
Read more: Decrease in Natural Gas Futures Prices on the First Day of November
Changes in Services Spending
Services spending also increased by 0.2% in August 2026, a decrease from the 0.3% growth in the previous month. These changes are attributed to increased costs in food and accommodation services (0.8% versus 0.4%), financial and insurance services (0.3% versus -0.1%), and transportation services (0.2% versus 0.4%). However, spending on recreational services decreased by 1.1%, following a 0.2% increase in the previous month.
Finally, spending on housing and utilities increased by 0.1%, which has not changed since July. These data clearly indicate changes in the spending patterns of American consumers and their impacts on the macroeconomy.
Read more: 0.7% Increase in Wholesale Inventories in the United States · The U.S. Government Approved New Fuel Economy Standards for Vehicles
