The U.S. Census Bureau has released new data from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), which tracks business conditions and future projections across the country. The survey now includes information for businesses with multiple locations.
BTOS collects ongoing data that complements other economic surveys, focusing on areas such as revenue, employment, work hours, and inventories. The survey covers all employer businesses in the United States except farms. Data are collected every two weeks, providing timely updates with detailed geographic and industry breakdowns. This allows for monitoring of how events like natural disasters or economic downturns affect businesses and helps track recovery efforts.
Approximately 1.2 million businesses participate in BTOS through a biweekly collection process. These businesses are divided into six panels of about 200,000 each, with each panel reporting every 12 weeks over a year. According to the Census Bureau, it takes respondents an average of nine minutes to complete the survey.
Survey results are released every two weeks and are available by sector, state, and for the 25 largest metropolitan areas. The information supports local, state, and federal officials in policy development and decision-making processes. Businesses can also use this data to inform their own economic decisions.
There is no formal news release accompanying this announcement; only a tip sheet has been provided.
