The U.S. Census Bureau released new data products from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS) on March 12. The survey measures business conditions and projections on an ongoing basis, collecting information that complements other economic surveys, such as revenues, employees, hours, and inventories.
BTOS is designed to provide a continuous view of the state of the U.S. economy by offering timely data every two weeks for key economic indicators. The survey covers all employer businesses in the country except farms, giving officials and businesses detailed insights into current trends across sectors and regions.
The BTOS sample includes about 1.2 million businesses, with biweekly data collection. These businesses are divided into six panels of approximately 200,000 each; each panel reports every 12 weeks over a year. According to the Census Bureau, it takes respondents about nine minutes to complete the survey, including time spent reviewing instructions and answers.
Data from BTOS will be released biweekly and made available by sector, state, and for the 25 most populous metropolitan statistical areas. In November 2025, new questions regarding artificial intelligence were added to the survey; results from these questions are expected to be released in Spring 2026. The Census Bureau said that these results provide essential real-time data for local, state, and federal officials to support policymaking and decision-making processes. Businesses can also use this information when making economic decisions.
The release did not include a news release but was distributed as a tip sheet.
