The U.S. Census Bureau has published new data from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), which provides ongoing information about business conditions and future expectations. The BTOS gathers data on multiunit and multilocation businesses, supplementing other economic surveys by collecting details on revenue, employment, hours worked, and inventories.
According to the Census Bureau, the BTOS represents all employer businesses in the United States except farms. It offers a continuous look at key economic indicators every two weeks with detailed geographic and industry breakdowns. This allows for monitoring the effects of events such as natural disasters or economic downturns and helps track recovery efforts.
The survey sample includes around 1.2 million businesses, divided into six groups of about 200,000 each. Each group is surveyed every 12 weeks over one year. On average, respondents spend approximately nine minutes completing the survey.
BTOS results are released biweekly and cover sector-level data as well as information by state and for the 25 largest metropolitan areas in the country. In November 2025, new questions addressing artificial intelligence were added to the survey; results from these questions will be available in 2026. The findings are intended to support decision-making for officials at all levels of government and assist businesses with their planning.
There is no separate news release linked to this announcement; it was issued as a tip sheet only.
