Furniture Sales Lose Steam In October As Growth Margins Narrow

WASHINGTON — U.S. furniture and home furnishings sales managed to stay in positive territory in October, but the pace of growth slowed noticeably.

The Department of Commerce’s advance monthly data shows that furniture and home furnishings retailers generated an estimated $11.264 billion in adjusted sales for the month. This represents a 0.5% increase year over year compared with October 2024, and a 2.3% rise from September. While still growing, the year-over-year gain was marginal.

October marked an important comparison point. It was the same month last year when the category finally returned to annual growth after nearly 20 months of decline. As a result, current performance is now being measured against stronger historical numbers, making sustained growth harder to achieve.

From January through October, unadjusted furniture and home furnishings sales reached nearly $112 billion, up 3.8% compared with the same period in 2024, according to the DOC.

Across the broader retail landscape, total adjusted retail and food service sales in October were estimated at $732.63 billion. That figure was 3.5% higher year over year, but essentially unchanged from September, signaling a generally stable — though not accelerating — retail environment.

Several retail segments posted stronger annual gains than furniture. Miscellaneous retailers led the pack with 9.5% growth, followed by non-store (e-commerce) retailers at 9.0%. Health and personal care stores and apparel retailers both rose 5.7%, while electronics and appliance stores increased 4.9%. Sporting goods, hobby and book retailers grew 4.6%, and food service and drinking places climbed 4.1%.

One category closely tied to home-related spending moved in the opposite direction. Sales at building material, garden equipment and supply dealers fell 4.5% year over year, a potential signal of softer demand for home improvement-related purchases.

The DOC noted that its advance estimates are based on a sample of roughly 5,500 retail and food service businesses, selected through a stratified random process. These results are then weighted to reflect the broader universe of more than 3 million U.S. retail and food service firms.