The U.S. Census Bureau has released new data products from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS) as of July 31, 2025. The BTOS is designed to measure ongoing business conditions and projections, with a focus on multiunit and multilocation businesses.
The survey provides continuous and timely information on key economic indicators such as revenues, employees, hours worked, and inventories. It excludes farms but covers all other employer businesses in the United States. Data are collected every two weeks, allowing for up-to-date insights into the state of the 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 uses a sample size of about 1.2 million businesses divided into six panels of roughly 200,000 cases each. Each panel is asked to report once every 12 weeks over a yearlong period. On average, respondents spend nine minutes completing the survey.
Results from BTOS will be released biweekly and made available by sector, state, and for the 25 largest metropolitan statistical areas in the country. These results provide local, state, and federal officials with real-time data that support policymaking decisions. Businesses can also use this information when making their own economic choices.
No formal news release was issued with this announcement; it was distributed as a tip sheet only.