The U.S. Census Bureau has published new data from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), which tracks business conditions and projections across the country. The survey now includes information for businesses with multiple locations.
According to the Census Bureau, BTOS gathers data that complements other economic surveys by focusing on key metrics such as revenue, employment, hours worked, and inventories. The survey covers all employer businesses in the United States except farms.
BTOS is designed to provide continuous and timely updates every two weeks, offering geographic and industry-specific details. This approach helps track the effects of events like natural disasters or economic crises and supports monitoring of recovery efforts.
The survey samples about 1.2 million businesses through a biweekly collection process. These businesses are divided into six panels, each consisting of around 200,000 participants who are surveyed every 12 weeks over a year. The Census Bureau estimates that completing the survey takes an average respondent approximately nine minutes.
Survey results are released every two weeks and are available by sector, state, and for the 25 largest metropolitan statistical areas. In November 2025, questions related to artificial intelligence were added to the survey; results from these questions will be released in 2026.
The data provided by BTOS supports local, state, and federal officials with real-time information for policymaking. It also assists businesses in making informed economic decisions.
There is no formal news release linked to this announcement; only a tip sheet has been provided.
