Census Bureau Releases New BTOS Data on Business Conditions, AI Adoption
Summary
The U.S. Census Bureau released new Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS) data products on April 23, 2026, including supplemental questions on AI adoption collected from November 17, 2025, to February 8, 2026. The data are now available as downloadable files and visualizations, showing how artificial intelligence is being adopted across businesses by industries, geography (states), and firm size. The BTOS sample consists of approximately 1.2 million businesses with biweekly data collection split into six panels of approximately 200,000 cases each. Data will be released biweekly and available by sector, state, and the 25 most populous metropolitan statistical areas.
“These data are now available on the BTOS webpage as data download files and visualizations. The data show how artificial intelligence is being adopted across businesses, including differences by industries, geography (states) and firm size.”
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What changed
The U.S. Census Bureau released new BTOS data products including supplemental questions on AI adoption in U.S. businesses. The AI data were collected from November 17, 2025, to February 8, 2026, and show how artificial intelligence is being adopted across businesses, including differences by industries, geography (states), and firm size. The data also provide insights into how AI is being used within businesses, the types of tasks it supports, and how it is changing work.
This release is informational and does not create new compliance obligations. Businesses selected for BTOS participation are already part of the approximately 1.2 million-business sample and should continue responding per standard Census Bureau survey protocols. The AI adoption data may be useful for businesses assessing competitive landscape and industry trends.
Archived snapshot
Apr 24, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
Business Trends and Outlook Survey Data Release — April 23, 2026
Business Trends and Outlook Survey Data Release — April 23, 2026
April 23, 2026
Press Release Number: CB26-TPS.26 APRIL 23, 2026 — The U.S. Census Bureau today released new data products from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), a survey that measures business conditions and projections on an ongoing basis. The BTOS will continue to collect data complementary to key items found on other economic surveys, such as revenues, employees, hours, and inventories.
New supplemental questions capturing business use of artificial intelligence (AI) were added to the BTOS from Nov. 17, 2025, to Feb. 8, 2026. These data are now available on the BTOS webpage as data download files and visualizations. The data show how artificial intelligence is being adopted across businesses, including differences by industries, geography (states) and firm size. Additionally, the data provide insights into how AI is being used within businesses, the types of tasks it supports and how it is changing work.
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 BTOS sample consists of approximately 1.2 million businesses with biweekly data collection. Selected businesses are split into six panels (approximately 200,000 cases per panel) that will be asked to report every 12 weeks for a year. The Census Bureau estimates it takes the average respondent approximately nine minutes to complete the survey, including the time for reviewing the instructions and answers.
Data will be released biweekly and available by sector, state and the 25 most populous metropolitan statistical areas. Survey results give local, state and federal officials essential, real-time data to aid in policymaking and decision-making. In addition, the information aids businesses in making economic decisions.
No news release associated with this announcement. Tip sheet only.
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Julie Iriondo
Public Information Office
301-763-3030 or 877-861-2010 (U.S. and Canada only)
[email protected]
Related Information
- Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS) Data
- Interactive Visualization: BTOS Data Page
- Video: Overview of the Business Trends Outlook Survey Page Last Revised - April 21, 2026
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