22.4% of US businesses now use AI, according to new Census Bureau survey
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The Census Bureau released new Business Trends and Outlook Survey figures on August 27. In the two weeks ending August 9, 22.4 percent of US businesses reported using artificial intelligence in some business function. That is the highest number since the bureau began asking this question, up from 17.3 percent in November 2025.
The survey asks the same question to about 1.2 million businesses on a biweekly cycle. Another 68.2 percent answered no. The remaining 9.4 percent said they did not know whether their business used AI.
| Period ending | Businesses using AI |
|---|---|
| November 2025 | 17.3% |
| February 2026 | 18.2% |
| April 2026 | 19.1% |
| June 2026 | 20.6% |
| August 2026 | 22.4% |
Workers are ahead of their employers
The Census Bureau asked households a similar question in March through the Household Trends and Outlook Pulse Survey. About 55 percent of US workers said they had used AI on the job for at least one of 11 tasks.
Expectations are flat
The survey also asks businesses whether they expect to use AI in the next six months. In the latest period, 25.9 percent said yes, 47.8 percent said no, and 26.3 percent did not know.
BTOS is an experimental data product. The bureau samples about 1.2 million businesses, splits them into six panels of roughly 200,000, and asks each panel to report every 12 weeks. Results cover employer businesses outside of farming, and are published by sector, state, and the 25 largest metropolitan areas. The bureau estimates the survey takes nine minutes to complete.
The next release is scheduled for two weeks out. Our earlier coverage of the worker-side figures is in does AI save time at work.
Sources
Figures are from the U.S. Census Bureau's Business Trends and Outlook Survey, national data file released August 27, 2026 (CB26-TPS.48), covering the reference period July 27 to August 9 and collected August 10 to 23. The full biweekly series is available on the bureau's BTOS data downloads page. Worker-side figures are from the March 2026 Household Trends and Outlook Pulse Survey. BTOS is designated an experimental data product.
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How many US businesses use artificial intelligence?
In the two weeks ending August 9, 2026, 22.4 percent of US businesses reported using AI in some business function, according to the Census Bureau's Business Trends and Outlook Survey. That is the highest reading since the question was added, up from 17.3 percent in November 2025. Another 68.2 percent said no and 9.4 percent said they did not know.
Why do more workers use AI than businesses?
About 55 percent of workers told the Census Bureau's household survey they had used AI on the job, against 22.4 percent of businesses reporting AI use. The surveys count different things, workers versus firms, and one employee using a chatbot does not make a company an adopter. The 9.4 percent of businesses that cannot say whether they use AI may employ workers using these tools without the company recording it.
What is the Business Trends and Outlook Survey?
BTOS is an experimental Census Bureau product that surveys about 1.2 million employer businesses on a biweekly cycle, excluding farms. Businesses are split into six panels of roughly 200,000 and report every 12 weeks. Results are published by sector, state, and the 25 largest metropolitan areas, and the bureau estimates the survey takes nine minutes to complete.
