The U.S. Census Bureau has released new data from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), which tracks business conditions and projections across the United States. The survey includes information for businesses with multiple locations and complements other economic surveys by collecting data on revenues, employees, hours worked, and inventories.
According to the Census Bureau, BTOS covers all employer businesses in the country except farms. The survey provides continuous and timely updates every two weeks on key economic indicators, offering detailed geographic and industry-specific insights. This allows for tracking the effects of events such as natural disasters or economic crises and helps monitor recovery efforts.
The BTOS sample involves about 1.2 million businesses, divided into six panels of roughly 200,000 each. Each panel is surveyed every 12 weeks over a year. The Census Bureau estimates that completing the survey takes an average respondent around nine minutes.
Data from BTOS will be released biweekly and will be available by sector, state, and for the 25 largest metropolitan areas. The results are intended to support local, state, and federal officials with real-time information for policymaking while also helping businesses make informed decisions.
There is no news release associated with this announcement; only a tip sheet was provided.
