The U.S. Census Bureau has released its monthly Business Formation Statistics (BFS) for January 2026, offering updated data on new business applications and formations across the United States and Puerto Rico.
The BFS provides both seasonally adjusted and unadjusted figures, with information available at national, regional, and state levels. According to the Census Bureau, “The BFS provide timely and high frequency information on new business applications and formations in the United States and Puerto Rico.” The dataset includes a total of twelve series—four tracking applications and eight tracking formations—which are published each month.
Puerto Rico is included in the release with four monthly business application series as part of the standard BFS product. The statistics are produced by the Census Bureau in partnership with economists from organizations such as the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, University of Maryland, and University of Notre Dame.
There is no accompanying news release for this announcement; only a tip sheet was provided.
