The U.S. Census Bureau has released new data from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), which provides ongoing measurements of business conditions and projections. The BTOS now includes information for businesses with multiple locations, expanding its coverage.
According to the Census Bureau, the survey collects data that complements other economic surveys by focusing on revenues, employees, hours worked, and inventories. The BTOS covers all employer businesses in the United States except farms.
The survey is designed to offer continuous and timely data every two weeks. This regular reporting helps capture how events such as natural disasters or economic crises affect businesses and supports monitoring recovery efforts. The sample includes about 1.2 million businesses divided into six panels, each consisting of roughly 200,000 cases. Each panel reports every 12 weeks over a year.
The agency estimates that it takes an average respondent nine minutes to complete the survey, including time spent reviewing instructions and answers.
Data from the BTOS will be released biweekly and will be available by sector, state, and for the 25 largest metropolitan statistical areas. These results are intended to provide local, state, and federal officials with essential real-time data for policymaking and decision-making purposes. Businesses can also use this information to inform their own economic decisions.
No separate news release was issued alongside this announcement; only a tip sheet was provided.
