WASHINGTON — U.S. wholesale sales posted another strong gain in May, led in part by continued strength in electrical products, even as inventory growth slowed, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest Monthly Wholesale Trade Report.
Sales
May 2026 sales of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations and trading day differences, but not for price changes, were $817.4 billion, up 3.4 percent (±0.5 percent) from the revised April level and up 18.1 percent (±0.9 percent) from the revised May 2025 level. The March 2026 to April 2026 percent change was revised from the preliminary estimate of up 2.0 percent (±0.5 percent) to up 2.2 percent (±0.5 percent).
Inventories
Total inventories of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations and trading day differences, but not for price changes, were $941.8 billion at the end of May, up 0.1 percent (±0.2 percent)* from the revised April level. Total inventories were up 4.0 percent (±1.2 percent) from the revised May 2025 level. The April 2026 to May 2026 percent change was revised from the advance estimate of up 0.3 percent (±0.2 percent) to up 0.1 percent (±0.2 percent)*.
Inventories/Sales Ratio
The May inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.15. The May 2025 ratio was 1.31.
Electrical Industry
Electrical wholesalers reported one of the strongest performances among durable goods sectors in May, with sales up 6.2% from April and 37.2% year over year. Inventories increased 22.2% from a year ago, while the inventory-to-sales ratio improved to 0.87 from 0.97 last May, indicating faster inventory turnover.
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* The 90 percent confidence interval includes zero. There is insufficient evidence to conclude that the actual change is different from zero.