The U.S. Department of Commerce said in October that the U.S. economy remained strong with an increase in real gross domestic product (GDP) and a rise in wages and consumer spending. On a half-yearly basis, between January and June 2024, the U.S. imports of textiles and apparel declined 3.58 percent to $49.349 billion from $51.178 billion during the same period of last calendar year. Apparel constitutes the bulk of the U.S. textile imports, and it fell by 6.04 percent to $35.748 billion from $38.044 billion last year, while non-apparel imports rose 3.55 percent to $13.134 billion.