# U.S. business inventories rose 0.4% in August

> The Census Bureau estimated manufacturers’ and trade inventories at $2.8188 trillion at the end of August.

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- Publisher: Newsverum
- Section: Economy
- Country: United States
- Published: 2026-10-15T16:15:27+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-15T16:15:27+00:00
- Event / data period: 2026-08
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The U.S. Census Bureau estimated manufacturers’ and trade inventories at $2.8188 trillion at the end of August, up 0.4% from July and 4.6% from a year earlier, adjusted for seasonality and trading-day differences. July was revised to $2.8071 trillion.

August sales were estimated at $2.1235 trillion, 1.1% above July. The inventories-to-sales ratio was 1.33. Dollar values are not adjusted for price changes; the 90% confidence interval for the monthly inventory change includes zero, so the release says there is insufficient evidence that the actual change differs from zero.

## Data

### U.S. business inventories rose 0.4% in August

The Census Bureau estimated manufacturers’ and trade inventories at $2.8188 trillion at the end of August.

Methodology: Inventory and sales values are adjusted for seasonality and trading-day effects, not prices. The 90% confidence interval for the monthly inventory change includes zero; estimates combine manufacturing, retail and wholesale surveys.

| date | label | description | status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-15 | U.S. business inventories rose 0.4% in August | The Census Bureau estimated manufacturers’ and trade inventories at $2.8188 trillion at the end of August. | occurred |

Sources: <https://www.census.gov/mtis/www/data/pdf/mtis_current.pdf> · Download data: [JSON](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/us-manufacturing-trade-inventories-august-2026/data/reported-event?lang=en&format=json) · [CSV](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/us-manufacturing-trade-inventories-august-2026/data/reported-event?lang=en&format=csv)

### Source indicators

Values and measurement bases reported in the official source.

Methodology: Inventory and sales values are adjusted for seasonality and trading-day effects, not prices. The 90% confidence interval for the monthly inventory change includes zero; estimates combine manufacturing, retail and wholesale surveys.

| Measure | billion USD | percent |
|---|---|---|
| Inventories, end of August | 2818.8 |  |
| Monthly inventory change |  | 0.4 |
| Annual inventory change |  | 4.6 |
| Sales in August | 2123.5 |  |

Sources: <https://www.census.gov/mtis/www/data/pdf/mtis_current.pdf> · Download data: [JSON](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/us-manufacturing-trade-inventories-august-2026/data/reported-figures?lang=en&format=json) · [CSV](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/us-manufacturing-trade-inventories-august-2026/data/reported-figures?lang=en&format=csv)

## Sources

- [U.S. Census Bureau](<https://www.census.gov/mtis/www/data/pdf/mtis_current.pdf>) (Source checked: 2026-10-15; Published: 2026-10-15)

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