The U.S. Census Bureau has released new data from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), which tracks business conditions and future expectations across the United States. The survey, which now includes data for businesses with multiple locations, is designed to complement other economic surveys by collecting information on revenues, employees, hours worked, and inventories.
According to the Census Bureau, BTOS covers all employer businesses in the country except farms. The survey provides continuous and timely data every two weeks on key economic indicators. This regular reporting allows for detailed analysis by geography and industry subsector, helping officials understand how events such as natural disasters or economic crises affect businesses and monitor recovery efforts.
The BTOS sample consists of about 1.2 million businesses that participate in biweekly data collection. These businesses are divided into six panels of approximately 200,000 each, with each panel reporting every 12 weeks over a year. The Census Bureau estimates that it takes respondents about nine minutes to complete the survey.
Data from BTOS will be released every two weeks and will be available by sector, state, and for the 25 largest metropolitan statistical areas. In November 2025, new questions regarding artificial intelligence were added to the survey; results from these questions are expected to be published in 2026. The Census Bureau notes that this information is valuable for local, state, and federal officials making policy decisions as well as for businesses planning their operations.
There is no separate news release associated with this announcement; it was issued as a tip sheet only.
