The U.S. Census Bureau has released new data from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), a program that measures business conditions and projections across the United States. The survey includes information from businesses with multiple locations and provides ongoing data on key economic indicators such as revenues, employees, hours, and inventories.
The BTOS is designed to represent all employer businesses in the country except farms. It delivers updated economic data every two weeks, allowing for continuous monitoring of the economy at both geographic and industry-specific levels. This frequent reporting helps track the effects of events like natural disasters or economic downturns, as well as efforts toward recovery.
Each cycle of the survey collects input from about 1.2 million businesses, divided into six groups of roughly 200,000 each. Businesses are asked to complete the survey once every 12 weeks over a year-long period. According to the Census Bureau, respondents typically spend about nine minutes on each survey.
The biweekly results are published with breakdowns by sector, state, and for the 25 largest metropolitan areas in the country. In November 2025, questions related to artificial intelligence were added to the survey; data from these questions will be made available in 2026. According to officials, “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 was no formal news release accompanying this announcement; only a tip sheet was provided.
