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According to the latest data from The NPD Group, Apple is now the fifth-largest electronics retailer in the United States. In the brick and mortar retailer category, Apple placed fifth in overall 2009 sales, following leader Best Buy, Walmart, Staples, and Target. Apple was also fifth in the online retailer category, following Dell, Amazon, Best Buy, and HP. Overall consumer spending was down, with the middle class—consumers with incomes between $30,000 and $100,000—cutting back nearly eight percent from 2008. Lower-income consumers decreased spending by three percent, while consumers with incomes over $100,000 decreased spending by slightly more than one percent. NPD’s Consumer Technology sales include IT, imaging, audio, video, and consumables, and exclude video game hardware and software, PC software, and mobile phones. [via MacDailyNews]