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 country. The BTOS collects information on key economic indicators such as revenues, employees, hours worked, and inventories.
The survey covers all employer businesses in the United States except for farms. Data are collected every two weeks to provide timely updates on economic trends at both geographic and industry levels. This approach allows the BTOS to monitor the effects of events like natural disasters or economic crises and helps track recovery efforts.
Approximately 1.2 million businesses participate in the survey, divided into six panels of about 200,000 each. Each panel is surveyed every 12 weeks over a year-long period. According to Census Bureau estimates, it takes an average of nine minutes for respondents to complete the survey.
Results from the BTOS are published biweekly and include breakdowns by sector, state, and the 25 largest metropolitan areas in the country. In November 2025, new questions about artificial intelligence were added to the survey; data from these questions will be available in Spring 2026.
“Survey results give local, state and federal officials essential, real-time data to aid in policymaking and decision-making. In addition, the information aids businesses in making economic decisions,” according to a statement from the Census Bureau.
There is no news release associated with this announcement; only a tip sheet was provided.
