The U.S. Census Bureau released new data products from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS) on March 26. The survey measures business conditions and projections across the United States, providing ongoing insights into economic trends.
The BTOS is significant because it offers continuous, timely data for key economic indicators such as revenues, employees, hours, and inventories every two weeks. This information helps track the impact of events like natural disasters or economic crises and supports recovery monitoring efforts.
According to the Census Bureau, BTOS covers all employer businesses in the country except farms. The sample includes about 1.2 million businesses divided into six panels of approximately 200,000 each. Each panel reports every twelve weeks over a year-long period. On average, respondents spend around nine minutes completing the survey after reviewing instructions.
Data from BTOS will be released biweekly with breakdowns by sector, state, and for the twenty-five most populous metropolitan statistical areas. New questions focusing on artificial intelligence were added to the survey in November 2025; results from these questions are expected to be available in spring 2026.
Survey results provide local, state, and federal officials with essential real-time data that inform policymaking decisions. Businesses also use this information to guide their own economic planning.
