The U.S. Census Bureau released new data products from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS) on April 9. The survey measures business conditions and projections across the United States, collecting ongoing information about revenues, employees, hours, and inventories.
The BTOS provides continuous and timely economic data every two weeks for all employer businesses in the country except farms. This information helps track key economic indicators at both national and local levels, supporting officials in monitoring recovery efforts after events such as natural disasters or economic crises.
According to the Census Bureau, approximately 1.2 million businesses are included in the BTOS sample through biweekly data collection. These businesses are divided into six panels of about 200,000 cases each; each panel is asked to report every twelve weeks for a year. The average respondent spends around nine minutes completing the survey.
Survey results are made available by sector, state, and within the twenty-five most populous metropolitan statistical areas every two weeks. New questions regarding artificial intelligence were added to the survey on November 17, 2025; these findings will be released in Spring 2026.
The BTOS aims to provide essential real-time data that can assist local, state, and federal officials with policymaking as well as help businesses make informed decisions.
