The U.S. Census Bureau has released new data products from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), an ongoing survey that tracks business conditions and projections in the United States. The BTOS now includes information for businesses with multiple locations, expanding its coverage of the national economy.
According to the Census Bureau, “BTOS data are representative of all employer businesses in the U.S. economy, excluding farms. BTOS provides insight into the state of the economy by providing continuous, timely data for key economic measures every two weeks. By providing continuous data with geographic and subsector detail, BTOS captures the impact of events like natural disasters and economic crises and assists in monitoring recovery efforts.”
The survey sample includes about 1.2 million businesses, which are divided into six panels of roughly 200,000 each. Each panel is surveyed every 12 weeks throughout a year, with respondents spending an estimated nine minutes to complete each survey.
Data collected through BTOS is released every two weeks and can be broken down by sector, state, and the 25 largest metropolitan statistical areas in the country. The survey will introduce new questions on artificial intelligence starting November 17, with results expected in 2026.
The BTOS offers local, state, and federal officials real-time data that support policymaking and decision-making processes. Businesses also use this information to guide their economic decisions.
There was no separate news release issued for this announcement; only a tip sheet was provided.
