The U.S. Census Bureau has released new data from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), which collects ongoing information about business conditions and future expectations in the United States. The BTOS covers all employer businesses across the country, with the exception of farms.
This survey provides continuous data on economic measures such as revenues, employees, hours worked, and inventories every two weeks. The information is detailed by geography and industry subsector, allowing for analysis of how events like natural disasters or economic crises affect businesses and how recovery efforts are progressing.
Approximately 1.2 million businesses are included in the BTOS sample. These businesses are divided into six groups of about 200,000 each, with each group reporting once every 12 weeks over a year. According to the Census Bureau, it takes an average of nine minutes for a respondent to complete the survey.
Survey results are published every two weeks and include breakdowns by sector, state, and for the 25 largest metropolitan areas in the country. New questions regarding artificial intelligence were added on November 17, 2025; data from these questions will be available in spring 2026. The BTOS aims to provide real-time information that helps government officials at all levels make policy decisions and supports businesses in their economic planning.
There is no news release linked to this announcement; only a tip sheet was provided.
