Contents
- What computer hardware retail sales statistics cover
- Computer hardware retail sales statistics for U.S. electronics stores
- Annual sales and inventory figures—and a classification break
- Electronics-store inventory statistics for 2024
- Recent monthly computer hardware retail sales statistics
- Reading the estimates and their limits
- Sources
What computer hardware retail sales statistics cover
There is no computer-hardware-only retail sales series in the Census figures covered here. The closest available measures are broader categories: “Electronics stores” (NAICS 443142) in annual industry statistics and “Electronics and appliance stores” (NAICS 443) in monthly retail reports and annual restatements. These categories can help describe the retail setting where computers are sold, but they do not measure computer sales alone.
The difference in category scope matters. NAICS 443142 is an industry classification for electronics stores, while NAICS 443 groups electronics and appliance stores together. A sales total for either category should not be presented as sales of computers, computer parts or hardware specifically. The September 2026 monthly report also says its estimates include only businesses with paid employees.
Computer hardware retail sales statistics for U.S. electronics stores
In 2023, U.S. employer firms classified as electronics stores reported $63.837 billion in sales, value of shipments or revenue. The same industry group reported annual payroll of $6.521 billion and first-quarter payroll of $1.636 billion. It employed 176,708 people.
| 2023 measure for U.S. electronics-store employer firms | Reported amount |
|---|---|
| Sales, value of shipments or revenue | $63.837 billion |
| Annual payroll | $6.521 billion |
| First-quarter payroll | $1.636 billion |
| Number of employees | 176,708 |
These figures describe employer firms in NAICS 443142, not all sellers of computers and not computer hardware alone. The sales measure includes the activity reported by firms classified in the electronics-store industry; it is not a count of units sold or a price-adjusted measure. U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Integrated Economic Survey, Retail Trade
Annual sales and inventory figures—and a classification break
Census’s 2022 annual retail restatement gives a broader NAICS 443 measure. Original electronics and appliance store sales were $92.760 billion for employer and nonemployer businesses combined. The restated employer-only figure was $91.051 billion, a reported difference of −1.8% between the two presentations.
The original and restated figures have different business coverage, so the difference should not be read as a change in sales over time. It reflects the comparison shown in the restatement between the employer-plus-nonemployer original and employer-only restated data.
The same document reports end-of-year inventories of $11.169 billion in the original combined-coverage data and $10.942 billion in the employer-only restatement, a reported difference of −2.0%. These are inventory values at year end, not annual sales.
| NAICS 443 measure for 2022 | Original: employer + nonemployer | Restated: employer only | Reported difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual sales | $92.760 billion | $91.051 billion | −1.8% |
| End-of-year inventories | $11.169 billion | $10.942 billion | −2.0% |
All amounts are in current dollars as presented by Census; the source does not describe these numbers as adjusted for price changes. The restatement is useful for understanding coverage and revisions, but the two columns are not interchangeable estimates of an identical population. U.S. Census Bureau, Restated Annual Retail Sales Data
Electronics-store inventory statistics for 2024
For 2024, U.S. employer firms classified as electronics stores reported $6.491 billion in total inventories at year end. Within the inventory accounting fields, the reported LIFO reserve was $15.718 million and LIFO inventory costing was $157.152 million. These accounting measures give context about inventory valuation; they are not additional sales totals.
The reported coefficient of variation for the total-inventory estimate was 1.3%. A coefficient of variation expresses sampling variability relative to an estimate. It does not describe how much inventory changed during the year, and it is not a measure of computer-specific stock. These data cover employer electronics-store firms in NAICS 443142. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Integrated Economic Survey, Retail Trade Inventory Valuation Statistics
Recent monthly computer hardware retail sales statistics
The September 2026 advance monthly retail report places electronics and appliance stores in NAICS 443. Seasonally and calendar-adjusted sales were $7.853 billion in September, compared with $7.806 billion in August and $7.646 billion in July. The September number is an advance estimate; August is preliminary, and July is revised. These estimates are not adjusted for price changes.
The report’s percentage-change table gives a clearer view of recent movement: September sales were up 0.6% from revised August and 9.4% from revised September 2025. August was up 2.1% from revised July and 8.3% from August 2025. Revised July was up 1.9% from June and 7.6% from July 2025.
| Month in 2026 | Seasonally adjusted sales | Month-to-month change | Year-over-year change |
|---|---|---|---|
| July (revised) | $7.646 billion | +1.9% | +7.6% |
| August (preliminary) | $7.806 billion | +2.1% | +8.3% |
| September (advance) | $7.853 billion | +0.6% | +9.4% |
The dollar amounts are for the combined electronics and appliance store category, not hardware alone. Monthly percentage changes are based on seasonally adjusted estimates and compare the specified months; year-over-year comparisons use the prior-year month identified in the release. The estimates may be revised as additional information becomes available. U.S. Census Bureau, Advance Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services, September 2026
Reading the estimates and their limits
The advance monthly retail estimates are based on a stratified random subsample of approximately 4,800 retail and food-service firms. That is the survey’s overall sample description, not the number of electronics retailers. The September release reports a 2.3% median coefficient of variation for current-month NAICS 443 sales estimates, using the most recent 12 months and estimates that are not seasonally or holiday/trading-day adjusted. It also reports a 1.1% median standard error for the current-month versus previous-month percentage change, based on unadjusted estimates.
These reliability measures help readers interpret the survey, but they do not turn the category into a computer-specific measure. Nor do the monthly and annual series describe precisely the same business population: the monthly release covers employer businesses, while the 2022 annual original figure includes employers and nonemployers, and the 2023–24 industry tables refer to employer firms. Comparisons across those sources require attention to category, coverage, period and adjustment status.
For readers seeking computer hardware retail sales statistics, the strongest supported takeaway is therefore about the broader electronics retail sector: Census reports substantial sales and inventory activity for electronics stores and electronics-and-appliance stores, alongside recent growth in the monthly combined category. The available figures do not establish what share came from computers, components or peripherals.