National retail growth in October led by these cities and categories…

Atlanta, Houston, and Orlando were the metropolitan areas leading the road to retail recovery in October.

That’s according to a Mastercard SpendingPulse analysis of retail sales across all payment types in the 20 largest U.S. metropolitan areas, where total retail sales grew 4.1% in October excluding auto and 6% excluding auto and gas.

The national retail growth was led by sales in furniture and furnishing (up 20.1%), with Phoenix, Sacramento, Orlando and Austin experiencing greater than 25% year-over-year growth, the survey showed.

National grocery sales skyrocketed increased 7.1% across the U.S., with Atlanta (9.1%), San Diego (9.0%), Sacramento (8.8%), Boston (8.5%) and Seattle (8.2%) experiencing the biggest increases in grocery.

With fewer events and gatherings occurring as a result of the pandemic, apparel sales were down compared to last year, according to the survey. However, warmer cities including Orlando, Houston and Tampa showed the greatest resilience when it came to shopping for new clothes.

“While the retail landscape looks different this year, we're once again seeing the amazing resilience of the American consumer – and the businesses who serve them,” said Steve Sadove, senior advisor for Mastercard and former CEO and chairman of Saks Inc. “October numbers show that early promotions are paying off as consumers get a jump on their holiday shopping.”