This May 26, 2026 Census Bureau story draws on the Business Trends and Outlook Survey, a biweekly nationally representative survey, with data collected from December 14, 2025 to May 3, 2026. AI use among U.S. businesses stayed between 17% and 20%, and 20% to 23% expected to use AI within six months.
Use was higher in larger firms: 37% of firms with at least 250 employees and 32% of firms with 100 to 249 employees. By sector, Information was at 39.7% and Finance and Insurance at 33.9%, while Retail Trade was about 14%. The national rate as of May 3 was 19.8%.