The U.S. Census Bureau released new data products from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS) on March 12. The survey measures business conditions and projections, collecting information such as revenues, employees, hours, and inventories.
The BTOS is designed to provide continuous and timely data about the state of the U.S. economy by surveying all employer businesses except farms. This ongoing collection allows for detailed geographic and subsector analysis every two weeks, helping to capture the effects of events like natural disasters or economic crises and monitor recovery efforts.
Approximately 1.2 million businesses are included in the BTOS sample, with biweekly data collection split into six panels of about 200,000 cases each. Each panel is asked to report every 12 weeks over a year. According to the Census Bureau, it takes an average respondent around nine minutes to complete the survey.
Data from BTOS will be released biweekly and made available by sector, state, and for the 25 most populous metropolitan statistical areas. New questions focusing on artificial intelligence were added in November 2025, with results expected in Spring 2026. The survey’s findings are intended to support local, state, and federal officials in policymaking as well as help businesses make informed economic decisions.
No additional news release was issued alongside this announcement.
