The U.S. Census Bureau has released new Business Formation Statistics (BFS) for August 2025, providing updated information on business applications and formations across the United States. The BFS, which are published monthly, offer both seasonally and nonseasonally adjusted data at the national, regional, and state levels.
Developed through collaboration between the Census Bureau and economists from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, the University of Maryland, and the University of Notre Dame, these statistics aim to give timely insights into trends in new business creation.
In addition to national data, the Census Bureau has released Monthly Puerto Rico Business Applications. This experimental dataset tracks four monthly business application series for Puerto Rico using the same methodology as that applied to the broader BFS.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau: “The BFS provide timely and high frequency information on new business applications and formations in the United States. The BFS are a standard data product of the Census Bureau, developed in research collaboration with economists affiliated with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, the University of Maryland, and the University of Notre Dame.”
The complete BFS dataset includes twelve series—four related to applications and eight to formations—allowing users to analyze detailed trends each month.
There was no formal news release associated with this announcement; it was distributed as a tip sheet only.
