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 future projections. The survey now includes information from businesses with multiple locations.
The BTOS is designed to offer timely, continuous data on important economic indicators such as revenues, employment, hours worked, and inventories. This survey covers all employer businesses in the United States except for farms. Data is collected every two weeks, offering insights into the economy at both geographic and industry levels. This allows for tracking the effects of events like natural disasters or economic downturns and supports monitoring recovery efforts.
Approximately 1.2 million businesses are included in the BTOS sample. These businesses are divided into six panels of about 200,000 each, with each panel asked to report once every 12 weeks over a year. According to the Census Bureau, it takes an average respondent around nine minutes to complete the survey.
Results from BTOS will be published biweekly and will be available by sector, state, and for the 25 largest metropolitan areas in the country. In November 2025, new questions related to artificial intelligence were added to the survey; these results are expected to be released in 2026. The data produced by BTOS helps government officials at all levels make informed policy decisions and assists businesses in their own planning.
There is no separate news release for this announcement; only a tip sheet has been provided.
