The U.S. Census Bureau has released new data from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), which provides regular information on business conditions and projections across the United States. The BTOS collects data from approximately 1.2 million employer businesses, excluding farms, through a biweekly process.
The survey includes multiunit and multilocation businesses and offers continuous, timely insights into key economic measures such as revenues, employees, hours worked, and inventories. Data are made available every two weeks with details by sector, state, and for the 25 largest metropolitan areas.
The BTOS is structured so that selected businesses are divided into six panels of about 200,000 cases each. Each panel reports every 12 weeks over a one-year period. According to the Census Bureau, it takes respondents an average of nine minutes to complete the survey.
The information gathered helps government officials at all levels make informed decisions regarding policy and economic recovery efforts following events like natural disasters or economic downturns. Businesses also use this data for their own planning and decision-making.
On November 17, new questions related to artificial intelligence were added to the survey; results from these questions are expected to be published in 2026.
There is no separate news release for this announcement; only a tip sheet has been provided.
