The U.S. Census Bureau released new data products from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey on April 9, providing updated information about business conditions and projections across the United States.
The release is significant because the survey offers continuous, timely data that helps track key economic measures such as revenues, employees, hours worked, and inventories. The survey is designed to support local, state, and federal officials with real-time information for policymaking while also assisting businesses in making informed economic decisions.
According to the Census Bureau, the Business Trends and Outlook Survey covers all employer businesses in the U.S. economy except farms. Data are collected every two weeks from a sample of approximately 1.2 million businesses divided into six panels of about 200,000 each. Each panel is asked to report every twelve weeks over a yearlong period. On average, respondents spend about nine minutes completing the survey.
Survey results are released biweekly and include breakdowns by sector, state, and for the twenty-five most populous metropolitan statistical areas. The Census Bureau added new questions related to artificial intelligence on November 17, 2025; these responses will be published in spring 2026.
By offering detailed geographic and industry-specific insights at frequent intervals, BTOS aims to capture how events such as natural disasters or economic crises affect American businesses while supporting efforts to monitor recovery.
