The U.S. Census Bureau has released new data from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), which measures business conditions and future expectations across the country. The BTOS now includes information for businesses with multiple locations, providing a broader view of economic activity.
This survey covers all employer businesses in the United States except farms. It is designed to offer regular updates on key economic indicators such as revenue, employment, work hours, and inventory levels. Data are collected every two weeks, allowing officials to track changes in the economy quickly and respond to events like natural disasters or financial crises.
The BTOS uses a sample of about 1.2 million businesses divided into six groups of around 200,000 each. Each group is surveyed once every 12 weeks over a year. On average, it takes respondents about nine minutes to complete the survey.
Results from the BTOS are published biweekly and broken down by sector, state, and the largest metropolitan areas in the country. New questions related to artificial intelligence were added on November 17; data from these questions will be available in 2026. The information gathered helps government officials at all levels make informed policy decisions and supports businesses in planning their activities.
There was no separate news release for this announcement; it was shared as a tip sheet.
