2026 Reference Page
Women’s apparel retail
& resale statistics.
Key U.S. retail, resale, and textile-waste figures in one place, with every statistic linked to its source and date.
Last updated September 5, 2026
At a glance
How women’s apparel is being bought, resold, and kept in use.
Fashion writers, retail researchers, and shoppers often need clear numbers without a maze of tabs and reports. This page brings together the latest available U.S. online-retail figures, the 2026 resale outlook, and the most recent federal textile-waste data.
These sources use different methods and reporting periods. Each figure is labeled with its source date so it can be cited accurately and read in context.
Online retail
Digital shopping keeps taking a larger share.
$340.2B
U.S. retail e-commerce sales in Q2 2026
The seasonally adjusted estimate rose 3.8% from the prior quarter.
U.S. Census Bureau, Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales, August 18, 2026
17.1%
of U.S. retail sales were online in Q2 2026
That is roughly one out of every six retail dollars.
U.S. Census Bureau, Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales, August 18, 2026
12.2%
year-over-year e-commerce growth in Q2 2026
Total retail sales grew 6.7% over the same period.
U.S. Census Bureau, Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales, August 18, 2026
Secondhand apparel
Resale is becoming a larger part of the fashion economy.
$393B
projected global secondhand apparel market by 2030
The 2026 report says the market is projected to grow twice as fast as overall apparel retail.
ThredUp 2026 Resale Report, conducted by GlobalData, April 2, 2026
$78.8B
projected U.S. secondhand apparel market by 2030
The report identifies the U.S. as a major share-growth market for resale.
ThredUp 2026 Resale Report, conducted by GlobalData, April 2, 2026
71%
of projected resale market growth from Gen Z and Millennials
This projection covers market growth through 2030.
ThredUp 2026 Resale Report, conducted by GlobalData, April 2, 2026
$23.3B
additional U.S. resale value tied to making selling easier
The report describes inventory supply as a key constraint on resale growth.
ThredUp 2026 Resale Report, conducted by GlobalData, April 2, 2026
Textile waste
Keeping clothing in use still matters.
17M
tons of textiles generated in U.S. municipal solid waste in 2018
The EPA notes that discarded clothing is the main source of textiles in this waste stream.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Textiles: Material-Specific Data, March 19, 2026
14.7%
textile recycling rate in 2018
That represented 2.5 million tons of textiles recycled.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Textiles: Material-Specific Data, March 19, 2026
13%
recycling rate for clothing and footwear textiles in 2018
The EPA reported this estimate separately from the all-textiles rate.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Textiles: Material-Specific Data, March 19, 2026
11.3M
tons of textiles sent to U.S. landfills in 2018
The EPA estimated textiles represented 7.7% of all municipal solid waste landfilled that year.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Textiles: Material-Specific Data, March 19, 2026
The EPA’s textile figures are the most recent federal estimates available as of this update and describe 2018 municipal solid waste data. They should not be read as a current annual count.
Methodology & sources
Built for clear, responsible citation.
This is a curated reference page, not original market research. It uses the latest relevant releases available on September 5, 2026, favoring primary government data and the named publisher of the 2026 resale report. Forecasts are presented as projections, not as completed market results.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales, August 18, 2026
- ThredUp 2026 Resale Report, conducted by GlobalData, April 2, 2026
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Textiles: Material-Specific Data, March 19, 2026
Cite this page
Primrose Signature Boutique. “Women’s Apparel Retail & Resale Statistics (2026).” Updated September 5, 2026. Primrose Signature Boutique reference page.
Primrose Signature Boutique
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