The U.S. Census Bureau has released new data from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), which tracks business conditions and projections in the United States. The BTOS includes data for businesses with multiple units or locations, providing a comprehensive look at employer businesses across the country, except for farms.
The survey is designed to collect information on important economic measures such as revenues, employees, hours worked, and inventories. Data is collected every two weeks from a sample of about 1.2 million businesses. These businesses are divided into six panels of roughly 200,000 each, with each panel asked to respond every 12 weeks throughout the year. According to the Census Bureau, it takes an average respondent around nine minutes to complete the survey.
Results from the BTOS are made available by sector, state, and for the 25 largest metropolitan statistical areas in the nation. The survey aims to provide continuous and timely information that can help officials at all levels of government make informed policy decisions. It also offers valuable insights for businesses as they plan their operations.
Starting November 17, new questions related to artificial intelligence were added to the survey; responses to these questions will be released in 2026.
The BTOS helps monitor how events like natural disasters and economic crises affect businesses and supports efforts aimed at recovery by offering detailed geographic and subsector data.
No formal news release was issued with this announcement; only a tip sheet was provided.
