The U.S. Census Bureau released new data products from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS) on March 12. The survey measures business conditions and projections on an ongoing basis, providing information that complements other economic surveys by tracking key items such as revenues, employees, hours, and inventories.
BTOS is designed to offer a continuous view of the state of the U.S. economy by collecting timely data every two weeks from all employer businesses except farms. This approach allows for detailed geographic and subsector analysis, helping to capture the effects of events like natural disasters or economic crises and supporting efforts to monitor recovery.
The BTOS sample includes about 1.2 million businesses, with biweekly data collection divided into six panels of approximately 200,000 cases each. Each panel is asked to report every twelve weeks over a year. According to the Census Bureau, it takes respondents an average of nine minutes to complete the survey, including time spent reviewing instructions and answers.
Survey results are released biweekly and are available by sector, state, and for the twenty-five most populous metropolitan statistical areas. New questions focusing on artificial intelligence were added in November 2025; responses to these will be published in spring 2026. The Census Bureau said that BTOS results provide essential real-time data for local, state, and federal officials involved in policymaking and decision-making processes. Businesses also use this information when making economic decisions.
No separate news release accompanied this announcement; it was distributed as a tip sheet.
