The U.S. Census Bureau released new data products from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS) on March 26. The survey measures business conditions and projections, offering ongoing insights into the state of employer businesses across the United States, excluding farms.
BTOS is designed to provide continuous and timely information about key economic measures such as revenues, employees, hours worked, and inventories. This data is intended to help policymakers at all levels of government monitor economic trends in real time and respond effectively to events like natural disasters or economic crises.
The BTOS sample includes approximately 1.2 million businesses, with biweekly data collection efforts. Businesses are divided into six panels of about 200,000 each; each panel reports every twelve weeks over a year-long period. According to the Census Bureau, it takes respondents an average of nine minutes to complete the survey after reviewing instructions.
Data from BTOS will be released every two weeks by sector, state, and for the twenty-five most populous metropolitan statistical areas in the country. In addition to standard questions on business operations, new questions regarding artificial intelligence were added in November 2025; results from these additions are expected in Spring 2026.
According to the Census Bureau announcement, “Survey results give local, state and federal officials essential, real-time data to aid in policymaking and decision-making.” The information also helps businesses make informed economic decisions.
