Sales of building materials, garden equipment, and supplies in the U.S. totaled $40.7 billion in December 2024, marking a 0.2% decrease from December 2023 and a 1.6% decline from November 2024. Meanwhile, inventories in the sector increased to $82.4 billion, up 0.8% from November and 5.2% higher than December 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The inventories-to-sales ratio for the building materials sector rose to 2.03 in December, compared to 1.98 in November and 1.92 in December 2023. Across the wholesale sector, total sales increased by 2.8% year-over-year, reaching $686.5 billion, while inventories remained stable at $898.5 billion, reflecting a 0.5% decrease from November. The overall business inventories-to-sales ratio declined to 1.35 in December, down from 1.37 a year earlier.
In retail trade, total sales reached $632.6 billion, reflecting a 4.5% year-over-year increase. Excluding motor vehicles and parts, retail sales totaled $489.3 billion, up 3.5% from December 2023. General merchandise stores recorded a 2.6% sales increase from December 2023, reaching $76.6 billion, while inventories climbed 2.4% to $98.6 billion. The report also highlighted that merchant wholesalers’ sales rose 2.8% from the previous year, while inventories declined 0.5% month-over-month.
