The U.S. Census Bureau has released new data from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), which tracks business conditions and projections on an ongoing basis. The survey now includes information for businesses with multiple locations.
The BTOS covers all employer businesses in the United States except farms. It collects and publishes key economic measures such as revenues, employment, hours worked, and inventories every two weeks. This continuous stream of data allows the survey to provide timely insights into the economy and monitor the effects of events like natural disasters or economic downturns, supporting recovery monitoring efforts.
The BTOS sample includes about 1.2 million businesses, divided into six panels of roughly 200,000 each. Each panel is surveyed every 12 weeks over a year. According to the Census Bureau, completing the survey takes respondents about nine minutes on average.
Survey results are published biweekly and can be broken down by sector, state, and among the 25 largest metropolitan areas in the country. In November 2025, new questions regarding artificial intelligence were added; those findings are expected to be released in 2026. The data supports local, state, and federal officials with real-time information for policymaking and helps businesses make informed decisions.
There is no accompanying news release for this announcement; only a tip sheet was provided.
