The U.S. Census Bureau has released new data from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), which provides ongoing information about business conditions and projections in the United States. The survey covers all employer businesses except farms and includes multiunit or multilocation businesses.
According to the Census Bureau, BTOS offers continuous, timely data on key economic measures such as revenues, employees, hours, and inventories. The survey is designed to capture the effects of events like natural disasters and economic crises, as well as monitor recovery efforts by providing geographic and subsector detail.
The BTOS sample includes about 1.2 million businesses, with biweekly data collection. These businesses are divided into six panels of roughly 200,000 each; each panel is asked to report every 12 weeks over a year. The Census Bureau estimates that it takes an average respondent around nine minutes to complete the survey.
Data from BTOS will be released every two weeks and made available by sector, state, and for the 25 most populous metropolitan statistical areas. New questions focusing on artificial intelligence were added on November 17 and are scheduled for release in 2026. The results of this survey provide local, state, and federal officials with real-time data to support policymaking and decision-making. Businesses can also use this information to guide their own economic decisions.
There is no news release associated with this announcement; only a tip sheet was provided.
