The U.S. Census Bureau has released new data from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), which measures business conditions and projections across the country. The survey is designed to provide continuous, timely information on key economic indicators such as revenues, employees, hours worked, and inventories.
The BTOS covers all employer businesses in the United States except farms. It delivers detailed data every two weeks, including breakdowns by geography and industry subsector. This frequent reporting helps capture the effects of significant events like natural disasters or economic crises and supports efforts to monitor recovery.
Approximately 1.2 million businesses are included in the BTOS sample. These businesses are divided into six groups of about 200,000 each, with each group asked to participate once every 12 weeks over a year-long period. Completing the survey typically takes around nine minutes for respondents.
Survey results are published biweekly and can be accessed by sector, state, and for the 25 largest metropolitan statistical areas. In November 2025, new questions regarding artificial intelligence were introduced; responses to these questions will be made public in spring 2026.
According to the Census Bureau: “BTOS provides insight into the state of the economy by providing continuous, timely data for key economic measures every two weeks. By providing continuous data with geographic and subsector detail, BTOS captures the impact of events like natural disasters and economic crises and assists in monitoring recovery efforts.”
Officials at various levels use this real-time information for policy development and decision-making. Businesses also utilize these insights when making their own economic decisions.
There was no accompanying news release with this announcement; only a tip sheet was provided.
