The U.S. Census Bureau has released the Business Formation Statistics (BFS) for January 2026, providing updated data on new business applications and formations across the United States and Puerto Rico. The BFS is a regular data product from the Census Bureau, developed in partnership with economists from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, the University of Maryland, and the University of Notre Dame.
According to the Census Bureau, “The BFS provide timely and high frequency information on new business applications and formations in the United States and Puerto Rico.” The monthly dataset includes twelve series—four related to business applications and eight focused on business formations—with data available at national, regional, and state levels. Additionally, four monthly business application series are reported specifically for Puerto Rico.
The statistics are published both seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted. The Census Bureau notes that there is no news release associated with this announcement; only a tip sheet was provided.
