The U.S. Census Bureau has released new data from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), which provides ongoing information about business conditions and future projections. The survey now includes data for businesses with multiple locations. BTOS is designed to supplement existing economic surveys by collecting information on key measures such as revenue, employment, work hours, and inventory levels.
The BTOS covers all employer businesses in the United States except for farms. The survey aims to deliver continuous and timely updates on the state of the economy every two weeks, offering details at both geographic and industry subsector levels. This approach helps track the effects of significant events, including natural disasters and economic crises, and supports efforts to monitor recovery.
Approximately 1.2 million businesses are part of the BTOS sample. Data collection occurs biweekly, with selected companies divided into six panels of around 200,000 each. Each panel participates in the survey every 12 weeks over a year. The Census Bureau estimates that completing the survey takes about nine minutes per respondent.
Survey results will be published every two weeks and organized by sector, state, and among the 25 largest metropolitan areas in the country. Starting November 17, new questions related to artificial intelligence were added; findings from these questions are expected to be released in 2026. According to the Census Bureau, “Survey results give local, state and federal officials essential, real-time data to aid in policymaking and decision-making. In addition, the information aids businesses in making economic decisions.”
There is no news release associated with this announcement; it was distributed as a tip sheet only.
