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    Furniture demand indicators

    Furniture store sales, housing starts, new home sales and household furnishings spending, charted from public data. Each chart names its series so you can check it at the source.

    Data refreshed

    MonthlyU.S. Census Bureau

    Furniture store sales

    $10.7B

    Up 1.3% from the prior month

    Up 4.9% from a year ago

    Show the latest numbers
    Most recent observations for Furniture store sales, newest first. Units: Millions of dollars, seasonally adjusted.
    PeriodValue
    $10.7B
    $10.6B
    $10.5B
    $10.6B
    $10.6B
    $10.4B
    $10.6B
    $10.3B
    $10.3B
    $10.4B
    $10.4B
    $10.4B

    Series RSFHFS. U.S. Census Bureau, via FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Millions of dollars, seasonally adjusted. View RSFHFS on FRED(opens in a new tab) Refreshed .

    What it measures

    Monthly dollar sales at furniture and home furnishings stores across the United States, estimated by the Census Bureau from a survey of retailers. It is the closest public read on what shoppers are spending in stores like yours.

    How to read it

    A rising line means more dollars are going through furniture and home furnishings stores. The figure is in current dollars, so price increases lift it even when unit volume is flat.

    Keep in mind

    This is the advance estimate. The Census Bureau revises recent months, sometimes by enough to change the direction of the latest move.

    MonthlyU.S. Census Bureau and HUD

    New home sales

    684K

    Up 6.4% from the prior month

    Down 2.0% from a year ago

    Show the latest numbers
    Most recent observations for New home sales, newest first. Units: Thousands of homes, seasonally adjusted annual rate.
    PeriodValue
    684K
    643K
    672K
    636K
    641K
    659K
    630K
    576K
    723K
    757K
    652K
    714K

    Series HSN1F. U.S. Census Bureau and HUD, via FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Thousands of homes, seasonally adjusted annual rate. View HSN1F on FRED(opens in a new tab) Refreshed .

    What it measures

    How many newly built single-family homes are being sold, expressed as the yearly pace implied by the latest month. A newly built home usually has to be furnished.

    How to read it

    A rising line points to more households moving into new homes and, usually with a lag of a few months, more furnishing demand. A falling line points the other way.

    Keep in mind

    New-home sales are one slice of housing. Existing-home sales, which drive most moves, are not in this series. Monthly readings are volatile and heavily revised.

    MonthlyU.S. Census Bureau and HUD

    Housing starts

    1,275K

    Down 2.6% from the prior month

    Down 1.2% from a year ago

    Show the latest numbers
    Most recent observations for Housing starts, newest first. Units: Thousands of units, seasonally adjusted annual rate.
    PeriodValue
    1,275K
    1,309K
    1,439K
    1,182K
    1,414K
    1,522K
    1,346K
    1,385K
    1,378K
    1,319K
    1,273K
    1,319K

    Series HOUST. U.S. Census Bureau and HUD, via FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Thousands of units, seasonally adjusted annual rate. View HOUST on FRED(opens in a new tab) Refreshed .

    What it measures

    How many new homes and apartments builders began constructing, as a yearly pace. Starts come months before completions, so this is an early signal for future furnishing demand.

    How to read it

    A rising line means more housing is in the pipeline for the following year. A falling line means fewer new households will be ready to furnish later.

    Keep in mind

    Starts count construction beginning, not homes that will sell. Multifamily starts swing the total from month to month.

    QuarterlyU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

    Household furnishings spending

    $530B

    Up 2.1% from the prior quarter

    Up 5.0% from a year ago

    Show the latest numbers
    Most recent observations for Household furnishings spending, newest first. Units: Billions of dollars, seasonally adjusted annual rate.
    PeriodValue
    $530B
    $519B
    $508B
    $505B
    $504B
    $499B
    $502B
    $493B
    $485B
    $479B
    $477B
    $480B

    Series DFDHRC1Q027SBEA. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, via FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Billions of dollars, seasonally adjusted annual rate. View DFDHRC1Q027SBEA on FRED(opens in a new tab) Refreshed .

    What it measures

    Total consumer spending on furnishings and durable household equipment such as furniture, appliances and tableware, from the national accounts. It is the broadest public measure of household spending in the categories you sell into.

    How to read it

    A rising line means households are spending more on these goods in total. It is in current dollars, so prices move it along with volume.

    Keep in mind

    Published quarterly and revised with each GDP release, so it trails the monthly retail figures. The category is wider than furniture alone.

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