The U.S. Census Bureau has released new data from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), which provides ongoing measurements of business conditions and projections. The survey includes information for businesses with multiple units or locations, expanding its coverage across the U.S. economy except for farms.
The BTOS gathers key economic data such as revenues, employment, hours worked, and inventories. This biweekly collection allows the survey to capture timely trends and impacts from events like natural disasters or economic crises. By delivering continuous data with geographic and subsector detail, the BTOS helps monitor recovery efforts after such events.
About 1.2 million businesses are included in the survey sample, divided into six panels of roughly 200,000 each. Each panel is surveyed every 12 weeks over a year. According to the Census Bureau, it takes an average respondent about nine minutes to complete the survey.
Data from BTOS are published every two weeks and are broken down by sector, state, and the 25 largest metropolitan statistical areas. The survey introduced new questions on artificial intelligence on November 17; results for these will be available in 2026. The findings provide local, state, and federal officials with real-time data to support policy decisions and also help businesses make informed economic choices.
There is no news release associated with this announcement; only a tip sheet was provided.
