The U.S. Census Bureau has released new data from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), which provides ongoing measurements of business conditions and projections across the United States. The survey includes information from businesses with multiple locations and is designed to complement existing economic surveys by collecting data on revenues, employees, hours worked, and inventories.
According to the Census Bureau, BTOS represents all employer businesses in the country except for farms. The survey aims to deliver timely updates every two weeks, offering detailed geographic and industry-specific insights. This allows policymakers to monitor how events such as natural disasters or economic crises affect businesses and helps track recovery efforts.
Approximately 1.2 million businesses are included in the BTOS sample. These are divided into six panels of about 200,000 each, with each panel reporting every 12 weeks over a year. The agency estimates that it takes an average respondent nine minutes to complete the survey.
Data collected through BTOS will be published biweekly and made available by sector, state, and for the 25 largest metropolitan areas in the country. The Census Bureau also announced that new questions about artificial intelligence were added on November 17; results from these questions are expected in 2026.
The Census Bureau states: “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.”
There is no news release associated with this announcement; only a tip sheet was provided.
