Monthly Retail Trade Survey: Jewelry Stores, 1992-2014
Census monthly retail trade charts for jewelry stores, 1992 to 2014
These charts present the Monthly Retail Trade Survey results for jewelry stores from 1992 to 2014, built from United States Census data retrieved on February 4, 2015. Jewelry is the most occasion-driven of the specialty series in this collection — gift-giving concentrates its year — which makes the contrast between its seasonally adjusted and unadjusted lines the widest lesson in the set. The charts present both forms, each with a line chart, and the survey's notes on reliability, sampling variability and seasonal adjustment are carried with the data. The figures are historical reference; the charts are not updated, and revisions to source data may occur.
Apparel Search has utilized data from the USA Census to create the following historical information to help fashion industry researchers learn more about our industry. The data was retrieved on February 4, 2015.
Revisions to the original source data may occur, but we will NOT be
updating the charts listed on this page. If you wish to utilize this
information, it is important to keep in mind that the data can possibly be
outdated due to potential revisions.
For the Monthly Retail Trade Survey, all current month estimates are
preliminary estimates, which will be superseded in following months by
revised estimates.
For information on the reliability and use of the data, including important
notes on estimation and sampling variance, seasonal adjustment, measures of
sampling variability, and other information pertinent to this economic
indicator, go to the
Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website, which provides time-series
Excel files for
Sales [XLS, 184kb], and
Inventories and Inventories/sales Ratios [XLS, 368kb] data.
Estimated measures of sampling variability for totals are expressed as
coefficients of variation (CV). Standard errors (SE) are provided for
month-to-month change and ratio estimates.
Estimated measures of sampling variability are based on data not adjusted
for seasonal variation, and should be used when drawing inferences about
both adjusted and not adjusted estimates.
Inventories are only available for the following industries (defined in Box
3 above): 44000, 4400A, 441, 4423X, 444, 445, 448, 452, 4521.
NA = Not available.
(S) = Suppressed.
The Y-axis for the line charts may be truncated to prevent flattening of the
lines or to present the complete range of data.
You can learn more at census.gov
Apparel Search will not be offering support regarding how to utilize the
information outlined above.
Again, future updates to the original data may take place from the government resources that supplied the original statistics. We will NOT be updating the charts and figures on this page. You can use this for historical reference only based on the date we retrieved the statistical data for these reports.
How the Monthly Retail Trade Survey Figures Work
All current-month estimates in the Monthly Retail Trade Survey are preliminary estimates, superseded in following months by revised estimates. The Bureau's documentation on reliability and use — estimation and sampling variance, seasonal adjustment and measures of sampling variability — accompanies the series, with time-series files for sales and for inventories and inventories/sales ratios published alongside. Estimated measures of sampling variability are expressed as coefficients of variation (CV), with standard errors (SE) provided for month-to-month change and ratio estimates, and those measures are based on data not adjusted for seasonal variation even when used to draw inferences about adjusted estimates. Inventories are available only for specified industries in the survey, and the tables use NA for not available and (S) for suppressed. The line charts' Y-axes may be truncated to prevent flattening of the lines or to present the complete range of data.
Reading the Jewelry Stores Series
Jewelry stores reward the adjusted view. In the unadjusted record the December gift peak dominates everything, and almost any December will look like a boom and almost any January like a collapse; the seasonally adjusted series is the one that can actually answer whether jewelry retail grew across the 1992-2014 span. The category also sits at the discretionary end of the fashion business, so its recessions arrive earlier and cut deeper than clothing's — researchers tracing the 2008-2009 downturn across this collection will find the jewelry line among the most sensitive witnesses. Compare it with the clothing stores series for the aggregate picture, and with the retail definitions page for the survey terms the tables use.
Common Questions
What do these charts measure?
Monthly Retail Trade Survey results for jewelry stores from 1992 to 2014, from United States Census data retrieved February 4, 2015, in seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted form.
Why do jewelry store figures need seasonal adjustment?
Jewelry sales concentrate heavily in the December gift season, so the unadjusted line is dominated by the calendar; the seasonally adjusted series shows the underlying trend.
Are the monthly estimates final?
No. All current-month estimates are preliminary and will be superseded in following months by revised estimates.