{
  "schema_version": "1.1",
  "id": "census-ecommerce-17-1-percent-retail-q2-2026",
  "slug": "census-ecommerce-17-1-percent-retail-q2-2026",
  "url": "https://groundedkit.com/claims/census-ecommerce-17-1-percent-retail-q2-2026/",
  "api_url": "https://groundedkit.com/api/claims/census-ecommerce-17-1-percent-retail-q2-2026.json",
  "claim": "E-commerce was 17.1% of U.S. retail sales in Q2 2026 (Census Bureau)",
  "commonly_cited_as": "\"What share of US retail is ecommerce?\" / \"Ecommerce is 20% of retail sales\"",
  "verdict": "verified",
  "verdict_definition": "Primary source found; it says the same thing, the scope matches, and it is reasonably current.",
  "confidence": "high",
  "rating": {
    "value": 5,
    "best": 5,
    "worst": 1
  },
  "origin": {
    "publisher": "U.S. Census Bureau",
    "title": "Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales, 2nd Quarter 2026 (CB26-133, Aug. 18, 2026)",
    "year": "2026"
  },
  "quote": "the estimate of U.S. retail e-commerce sales for the second quarter of 2026, adjusted for seasonal variation, but not for price changes, was $340.2 billion ... E-commerce sales in the second quarter of 2026 accounted for 17.1 percent of total sales.",
  "method": "Monthly Retail Trade Survey: probability sample of about 10,800 retail firms (excluding food services) weighted to the universe of 2M+ retail firms; employer businesses only.",
  "drift": [
    "None — check the quarter: the share is seasonally adjusted (not adjusted Q4 2025 was 18.3%); the Census page notes revisions published after Sept. 28, 2026"
  ],
  "interest": "n/a (federal statistical agency).",
  "safe_rephrasing": "The U.S. Census Bureau estimated e-commerce at $340.2 billion, or 17.1% of total retail sales, in Q2 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary).",
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "U.S. Census Bureau — Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales report (PDF)",
      "url": "https://www.census.gov/retail/mrts/www/data/pdf/ec_current.pdf",
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "title": "U.S. Census Bureau — Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales page",
      "url": "https://www.census.gov/retail/ecommerce.html",
      "primary": true
    }
  ],
  "kind": "reference_fact",
  "as_of": "Q2 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary; released Aug. 18, 2026 (check census.gov for the next quarterly release)",
  "last_checked": "2026-10-16",
  "stale": false,
  "date_reviewed": "2026-10-16",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0",
  "license_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
}