The U.S. Census Bureau has published the latest Business Formation Statistics (BFS) for January 2026, providing updated information on new business applications and formations across the United States and Puerto Rico. The BFS is a monthly dataset that tracks trends in business creation, offering both seasonally adjusted and unadjusted data.
This data product is developed through collaboration between the Census Bureau and economists from organizations including 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 release covers all 12 BFS series—four application series and eight formation series—with statistics available at national, regional, and state levels. For Puerto Rico, four monthly business application series are included as part of this standard release.
There is no accompanying news release with this announcement; only a tip sheet has been provided.
