The U.S. Census Bureau seeks comment on revising the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS) by October 9, 2026.
“BTOS uses ongoing data collection to produce high frequency, timely, and granular information about current economic conditions and trends. BTOS is the only biweekly business tendency survey produced by the federal statistical system … The BTOS target population is all nonfarm employer businesses with receipts of $1,000 or more in the United States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.”
The Bureau has several changes in mind: “First, the Census Bureau requests approval to repeat the artificial intelligence (AI) supplement with minor content changes. Cognitive testing of these changes has been conducted. We are submitting with this request the proposed AI supplemental questions. Second, the Bureau requests approval to add a new core question about business uncertainty. This new question has also been cognitively tested ahead of submission. Last, the Bureau is requesting approval to add three core questions. Two of these questions (Generative AI usage and the impact of AI on the total number of employees) are being moved from the AI supplement, and the third is a new question about the impact of AI on new employees, conceptually expanding on the others. The new question has undergone cognitive testing to determine the finalized wording. To minimize respondent burden, the Bureau will employ skip logic for these questions, only asking them of businesses that report AI usage. The Bureau is also exploring ways to collect and publish data from the AI supplement at a frequency more often than annual, but less often than bi-weekly.”
- Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Business Trends and Outlook Survey https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/09/09/2026-18304/agency-information-collection-activities-submission-to-the-office-of-management-and-budget-omb-for
