The monthly sales tally from the U.S. Census Bureau showed gains in February – sales were up 1.1% from the previous month, and up 6.5% from the same month last year.

Leading the sales charge are businesses classified as building material & garden equipment and supplies dealers – NAICS code 444, inclusive of home centers and hardware stores. No other kind of business tracked by the bureau has grown faster in the first two months of 2012. 

On an unadjusted basis, NAICS showed a 15.5% increase in the first two months, compared to the same period a year ago.

In 2012, NAICS 444 adjusted sales were estimated at $27.036 billion for February, up 1.4% from the previous month, and up 13.8% from the same period last year. (Sales are adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes.)