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 covers all employer businesses except farms, providing regular updates on key economic indicators such as revenues, employees, hours worked, and inventories.
BTOS collects information from about 1.2 million businesses every two weeks. These businesses are divided into six groups of approximately 200,000 each, with each group reporting once every 12 weeks over a year. According to the Census Bureau, completing the survey takes an average of nine minutes per respondent.
Data from BTOS is published biweekly and includes breakdowns by sector, state, and the 25 largest metropolitan areas in the country. The survey is designed to offer continuous and timely data with detailed geographic and industry insights. This approach helps capture the effects of significant events like natural disasters or economic downturns and supports efforts to monitor recovery.
Starting November 17, new questions regarding artificial intelligence were added to the survey; results from these questions are expected to be released in 2026. The information collected assists officials at various levels of government in policymaking and decision-making while also helping businesses make informed economic choices.
There was no formal news release issued for this announcement; it was distributed as a tip sheet only.
