The U.S. Census Bureau has published new data from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), a program that measures business conditions and projections across the country. The survey now includes information for businesses with multiple locations.
According to the Census Bureau, BTOS collects ongoing data that complements other economic surveys by covering areas such as revenue, employment, hours worked, and inventories. The survey aims to provide timely and continuous insight into the state of the U.S. economy, excluding farms. Data is released every two weeks with detailed breakdowns by sector, state, and for the 25 largest metropolitan statistical areas.
BTOS uses a sample of about 1.2 million businesses divided into six panels of approximately 200,000 each. Each panel is surveyed every 12 weeks over a year. Completing the survey takes an average respondent around nine minutes.
A recent addition to BTOS is a set of questions on artificial intelligence, introduced in November 2025; responses to these will be made public in 2026.
The Census Bureau states: “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.”
BTOS also provides insights into how events such as natural disasters or economic crises affect different parts of the country and helps monitor recovery efforts.
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