Contents
- Hardware retail sales statistics: U.S. hardware-store annual sales
- Hardware retail sales statistics: monthly hardware-store sales
- hardware retail sales statistics: Independent home-improvement retail sales and outlet counts
- hardware retail sales: Independent retailer survey: sales, margins, and investment plans
- hardware retail sales: U.S. home-improvement sales by store type and monthly growth
- hardware retail sales: Canadian home-improvement retail sales and store mix
- Sources
Hardware retail sales statistics: U.S. hardware-store annual sales
The U.S. Census Bureau’s annual hardware-store series, presented by FRED, reports sales in thousands of U.S. dollars and is not seasonally adjusted. The observations below cover 2020 through 2024. Their scale is important: a value such as 39,774,770 means thousands of dollars, not dollars or millions. The annual series isolates hardware stores, while several broader industry measures later in this article cover additional store types. Source: FRED, Hardware Stores: Sales
| Year | Hardware-store sales (thousands of U.S. dollars) |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 34,026,944 |
| 2021 | 35,391,036 |
| 2022 | 38,319,793 |
| 2023 | 38,786,975 |
| 2024 | 39,774,770 |
The reported series rises across each successive annual observation in this five-year span. Sales were 34,026,944 thousand U.S. dollars in 2020, 35,391,036 thousand in 2021, and 38,319,793 thousand in 2022. The next observations were 38,786,975 thousand in 2023 and 39,774,770 thousand in 2024. These are nominal sales values as reported; the series does not adjust for seasonal patterns, and the supplied observations do not provide an inflation-adjusted measure or a breakdown by product category. Source: FRED, Hardware Stores: Sales
Hardware retail sales statistics: monthly hardware-store sales
The monthly Census series also tracks U.S. hardware-store retail sales, but its unit is millions of dollars and its frequency is monthly. These figures are not seasonally adjusted. The selected observations show both a set of consecutive months in 2026 and three reference months in 2025. They should be read as monthly reported sales, not as annual totals or seasonally adjusted comparisons. Source: FRED, Table Data—Retail Sales: Hardware Stores
| Month | Sales (millions of dollars) |
|---|---|
| February 2025 | 2,692 |
| May 2025 | 3,835 |
| June 2025 | 3,713 |
| June 2026 | 4,147 |
| July 2026 | 3,947 |
| August 2026 | 3,895 |
In 2025, the reported observations were 2,692 million dollars in February, 3,835 million in May, and 3,713 million in June. The figures for 2026 were 4,147 million dollars in June, 3,947 million in July, and 3,895 million in August. The 2026 values form a consecutive three-month sequence; the 2025 values do not. Because the source labels the series not seasonally adjusted, the listed monthly amounts retain seasonal variation. The observations support describing the reported amounts for those months, but do not establish why they differ or provide a seasonally adjusted year-over-year comparison. Source: FRED, Table Data—Retail Sales: Hardware Stores
The annual table and monthly table also use different units and frequencies. The annual observations are in thousands of U.S. dollars, while the monthly observations are in millions of dollars. Keeping those labels attached prevents a unit mismatch when referring to the series. Both are Census hardware-store measures, rather than the wider home-improvement market estimates discussed below. Source: FRED annual series; Source: FRED monthly table
hardware retail sales statistics: Independent home-improvement retail sales and outlet counts
NHPA’s Independent HI* category is broader than hardware stores alone: it includes independent hardware, paint, farm supply, and allied retailers. NHPA reported estimated sales of $61.6 billion for this combined U.S. category in 2025, and projected $62.7 billion in 2026 and $70.3 billion in 2029. These amounts therefore should not be interpreted as hardware-only sales. Source: NHPA, 2026 Market Measure, p. 4
| Year | Independent HI* sales (U.S. dollars, billions) | Independent HI* outlets |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $61.6 | 18,775 |
| 2026 projection | $62.7 | 18,760 |
| 2029 projection | $70.3 | — |
For the 2024–2029 period, NHPA listed a projected 3.0% compound annual growth rate for Independent HI* sales. Its outlet table shows 18,775 outlets in 2025 and a projected 18,760 in 2026. The report does not give an outlet figure for 2029 among the checked observations, so the table does not infer one. Sales estimates and outlet counts describe different aspects of this combined category; the supplied figures do not break sales down among hardware, paint, farm supply, and allied retailers. Source: NHPA, 2026 Market Measure, p. 4
hardware retail sales: Independent retailer survey: sales, margins, and investment plans
The Independent Retailer Index reports a survey of independent home-improvement retailers. Its Q4 2024 results compare performance with Q4 2023, so the findings describe survey respondents over that year-over-year period rather than every U.S. hardware retailer. The survey reported that 30% of retailers saw sales growth in Q4 2024. At the same time, average total sales among respondents decreased 0.2% year over year. These are different measures: one is the share reporting growth, and the other is the reported average change in total sales. Source: NHPA, “Making It Count: Independent Retailer Index”
The survey also reported a positive 0.4% average change in gross profit margin for Q4 2024 compared with Q4 2023. This margin result is not a sales-growth measure: it describes the reported average change in gross profit margin. Read together, the three indicators show that the respondent group included retailers reporting sales growth even as average total sales decreased 0.2%, while the reported average gross profit margin change was positive 0.4%. The available figures do not identify causes or establish that every respondent experienced the average result. Source: NHPA, “Making It Count: Independent Retailer Index”
For 2025, the survey’s investment-plan responses included digital marketing at 63%, web/e-commerce at 58%, and point-of-sale systems at 33%. These percentages refer to surveyed retailers planning to allocate funds to those areas. They are plans for 2025, not verified completed investments, and the three response shares should not be treated as mutually exclusive categories. Source: NHPA, “Making It Count: Independent Retailer Index”
hardware retail sales: U.S. home-improvement sales by store type and monthly growth
NHPA’s total U.S. home-improvement estimate spans the store types represented in its market table. It is broader than the Census hardware-store series. NHPA estimated total sales of $530.6 billion in 2025 and projected $543.3 billion in 2026 and $600.6 billion in 2029. For 2024–2029, it listed a projected compound annual growth rate of 2.7% for total sales. The projected values are estimates for future periods in the report, not realized sales observations. Source: NHPA, 2026 Market Measure, p. 4
| Year | Total U.S. home-improvement sales (U.S. dollars, billions) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $530.6 |
| 2026 projection | $543.3 |
| 2029 projection | $600.6 |
NHPA’s monthly home-improvement series for 2025 lists sales of $32.9 billion in January, $46.8 billion in May, $43.9 billion in June, and $40.3 billion in August. The figures refer to the wider U.S. home-improvement industry, not hardware stores alone. These selected months do not form a complete annual sequence, so they cannot be used here to state a full-year monthly pattern. Source: NHPA, 2026 Market Measure, p. 4
The report’s “Sales Growth 2024 vs. 2025” table lists year-to-date growth of -0.89% for its 2025 U.S. home-improvement monthly series. The table cites the U.S. Department of Census Monthly Retail Sales Report NAICS 444, not seasonally adjusted, and NHPA calculations. The negative sign is part of the reported value. It is a year-to-date figure as presented in the 2026 report, not a separate estimate for each month or a full-year growth rate. Source: NHPA, 2026 Market Measure, p. 4
hardware retail sales: Canadian home-improvement retail sales and store mix
NHPA’s Canadian home-improvement chart labels sales in U.S. dollars, billions. It reports $57.3 billion in 2024, with year-over-year growth of -2.3%, and estimates $58.1 billion in 2025. The chart projects $59.0 billion for 2026. These are USD-denominated figures, and the 2025 estimate and 2026 projection retain those stated statuses. Source: NHPA, 2026 Market Measure, p. 9
| Year | Canadian home-improvement sales (U.S. dollars, billions) | Year-over-year growth |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $57.3 | -2.3% |
| 2025 estimate | $58.1 | — |
| 2026 projection | $59.0 | — |
The chart defines the Canadian industry as retail sales by all Canadian hardware stores, building centres, and big-box stores, including estimated related hardware, home-improvement, and seasonal sales by Canadian Tire stores. That definition matters when interpreting its total: the figure includes more than hardware-store sales. The accompanying 2024 store-mix chart assigns 53.0% of sales to building centers, 27.4% to big-box stores, and 6.6% to hardware stores. Those values describe shares of the Canadian home-improvement sales mix shown in the report, not outlet counts or shares of all Canadian retail sales. Source: NHPA, 2026 Market Measure, p. 9