The U.S. Census Bureau released new data products from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS) on March 12, 2026. The survey measures business conditions and projections on an ongoing basis, providing information that complements other economic surveys by tracking key items such as revenues, employees, hours, and inventories.
BTOS is designed to represent all employer businesses in the United States economy except farms. The survey provides continuous and timely data every two weeks for important economic indicators. By offering detailed geographic and subsector information, BTOS helps capture the effects of events like natural disasters or economic crises and supports efforts to monitor recovery.
The BTOS sample includes about 1.2 million businesses with biweekly data collection. These businesses are divided into six panels of approximately 200,000 cases each, with each panel asked to report every twelve weeks over a year. According to the Census Bureau, it takes respondents about nine minutes on average to complete the survey, including time spent reviewing instructions and answers.
Data from BTOS will be released every two weeks and made available by sector, state, and for the twenty-five most populous metropolitan statistical areas. New questions related to artificial intelligence were added on November 17, 2025; results from these questions are expected in spring 2026. The survey’s findings provide local, state, and federal officials with real-time data needed for policymaking and decision-making while also helping businesses make informed economic decisions.
No separate news release was issued alongside this announcement; only a tip sheet was provided.
