The U.S. Census Bureau has published new data from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), which provides ongoing information on business conditions and projections across the United States. The survey covers all employer businesses, except farms, and now includes data for companies with multiple units or locations.
According to the Census Bureau, BTOS collects data that complements other economic surveys by measuring key factors such as revenues, employment, hours worked, and inventories. The survey is designed to offer continuous updates every two weeks, providing detailed information by geography and industry subsector. This allows officials to monitor how events like natural disasters or economic crises affect businesses and track recovery efforts.
Approximately 1.2 million businesses are included in the BTOS sample. These are divided into six panels of about 200,000 each, with each panel asked to report once every 12 weeks throughout a year. The Census Bureau estimates that it takes respondents an average of nine minutes to complete the survey.
Data from BTOS will be released biweekly and made available by sector, state, and for the 25 largest metropolitan statistical areas. 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.
