The U.S. Census Bureau has published new data from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), which tracks business conditions and projections in the United States on an ongoing basis. The survey is designed to complement other economic surveys by collecting information such as revenues, employee numbers, hours worked, and inventories.
The BTOS covers all employer businesses in the country except farms. Its biweekly data releases provide regular updates on key economic indicators with geographic and industry-specific detail. This approach allows for monitoring of events like natural disasters or economic crises, helping to track recovery efforts.
Approximately 1.2 million businesses participate in BTOS, divided into six panels of about 200,000 each. Each panel is surveyed every 12 weeks over a year-long period. According to the Census Bureau, it takes respondents around nine minutes to complete the survey.
BTOS data are released every two weeks and are available by sector, state, and for the 25 largest metropolitan areas in the country. New questions addressing artificial intelligence were introduced on November 17, 2025; results from these questions are expected to be released in spring 2026.
Survey findings provide essential real-time information for officials at all levels of government as well as businesses, supporting policy decisions and economic planning.
There is no separate news release related to this announcement; only a tip sheet has been provided.
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