Statistics · Updated Oct 17, 2026 · Next update Oct 22, 2026 (next Census survey release)
How many US businesses use AI? (2026)
The share of US businesses using artificial intelligence, by state, industry and size, from the Census Bureau's Business Trends and Outlook Survey. We update it when Census publishes, every two weeks.
of US businesses used AI in the last two weeks, about 1 in 4.
of retailers used AI, about 1 in 6.
US Census Bureau, Business Trends and Outlook Survey · Sep 7–20, 2026
expect to use AI in the next six months.
US Census Bureau, Business Trends and Outlook Survey · Sep 7–20, 2026
in Utah, the highest state, up from 18.6% last winter.
US Census Bureau, Business Trends and Outlook Survey · average of six surveys, June 29 to September 20, 2026; earlier figure November 2025 to January 2026
of businesses with 250+ staff, against 22.8% with 1–4.
US Census Bureau, Business Trends and Outlook Survey · average of six surveys, June 29 to September 20, 2026
Census reworded the AI question on November 17, 2025, so figures from before then aren't comparable. Every trend on this page uses the new wording.
Using these figures
Free to use. A mention of Sauron and a link back is appreciated.
Source: Sauron analysis of US Census Bureau Business Trends and Outlook Survey data, https://sauron.so/research/ai-use-statistics
- AI use by state (CSV)
- AI use by industry (CSV)
- AI use by business size (CSV)
- Every survey since November 2025 (CSV)
- Charts (PNG and embed code)
- All headline figures and the chart pack
Laurence Tuchin, founder
press@sauron.so
Need figures for your state or a different cut? Email us.
AI use is still climbing
From 17.3% of businesses in November 2025 to 23.8% in September 2026.
Share of US businesses using AI
Every two-week survey since Census reworded the question, Nov 2025 to Sep 2026. Bars start at 0.
Show the numbers
| Two weeks to | Used AI | Standard error | Expect to use AI in the next six months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 3–16, 2025 | 17.3% | 0.2 | 21.1% |
| Nov 17–30, 2025 | 17.2% | 0.2 | 20.9% |
| Dec 1–14, 2025 | 17.8% | 0.5 | 21.3% |
| Dec 15–28, 2025 | 17.7% | 0.3 | 22.4% |
| Dec 29, 2025–Jan 11, 2026 | 18.2% | 0.2 | 22.1% |
| Jan 12–25, 2026 | 18.9% | 0.4 | 22.1% |
| Jan 26–Feb 8, 2026 | 17.5% | 0.4 | 21.0% |
| Feb 9–22, 2026 | 18.2% | 0.3 | 21.8% |
| Feb 23–Mar 8, 2026 | 18.9% | 0.3 | 22.3% |
| Mar 9–22, 2026 | 19.1% | 0.4 | 22.5% |
| Mar 23–Apr 5, 2026 | 19.8% | 0.3 | 23.0% |
| Apr 6–19, 2026 | 19.8% | 0.2 | 22.8% |
| Apr 20–May 3, 2026 | 19.5% | 0.2 | 22.7% |
| May 4–17, 2026 | 20.6% | 0.3 | 23.7% |
| May 18–31, 2026 | 20.6% | 0.3 | 23.9% |
| Jun 1–14, 2026 | 20.6% | 0.4 | 23.7% |
| Jun 15–28, 2026 | 21.7% | 0.3 | 24.5% |
| Jun 29–Jul 12, 2026 | 21.5% | 0.4 | 24.3% |
| Jul 13–26, 2026 | 21.8% | 0.3 | 25.9% |
| Jul 27–Aug 9, 2026 | 22.4% | 0.4 | 25.9% |
| Aug 10–23, 2026 | 23.2% | 0.3 | 27.3% |
| Aug 24–Sep 6, 2026 | 23.8% | 0.3 | 27.6% |
| Sep 7–20, 2026 | 23.8% | 0.4 | 27.7% |
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<a href="https://sauron.so/research/ai-use-statistics"><img src="https://sauron.so/research/charts/ai-use-trend.png" alt="Column chart: the share of US businesses that used AI in the two weeks before each survey rose from 17.3% (Nov 3–16, 2025) to 23.8% (Sep 7–20, 2026)." width="800" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>
<p>Chart: <a href="https://sauron.so/research/ai-use-statistics">Sauron Research</a></p>Each bar is one two-week survey since Census reworded the question. In the latest, 23.8% of businesses said they used AI in the two weeks before (standard error 0.41), and 27.7% expected to within six months.
Why the trend starts in November 2025: Census changed the question on November 17, 2025 from AI used “in producing goods or services” to AI used “in any of its business functions”. The two series measure different things, so we don't join them, and we don't quote growth across the change.
By state
Utah, Delaware, Colorado and Arizona lead the states. New York is second from bottom.
Hover over or tap a state to see its figure.
- 1 District of Columbia 33.6%
- 2 Utah 30.1%
- 3 Delaware 28.0%
- 4 Colorado 27.5%
- 5 Arizona 26.6%
- 43 Alabama 18.7%
- 44 Iowa 18.6%
- 45 Alaska 17.3%
- 46 New York 17.0%
- 47 Mississippi 16.0%
Average of the six surveys from June 29 to September 20, 2026. 47 ranked, DC included. Every state (CSV)
Washington, DC, at 33.6%, is above every state. It's ranked here with the states because this is a share of businesses, not residents. Census published no complete estimate for North Dakota, Rhode Island, West Virginia and Wyoming in these six surveys. State figures carry larger errors than the national one (standard errors up to about 3 points), so states a point or two apart may not really differ.
Show the numbers
| Rank | State | Share using AI | Standard error |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 33.6% | 2.9 |
| 2 | Utah | 30.1% | 1.4 |
| 3 | Delaware | 28.0% | 1.9 |
| 4 | Colorado | 27.5% | 0.7 |
| 5 | Arizona | 26.6% | 1.0 |
| 6 | Florida | 26.5% | 0.6 |
| 7 | Washington | 26.2% | 0.8 |
| 8 | Georgia | 25.4% | 0.9 |
| 9 | Nevada | 25.2% | 1.1 |
| 10 | Minnesota | 24.8% | 1.0 |
| 11 | Texas | 24.5% | 0.5 |
| 12 | California | 24.3% | 0.3 |
| 13 | Virginia | 24.2% | 0.7 |
| 14 | North Carolina | 23.6% | 0.7 |
| 15 | Idaho | 23.3% | 1.5 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | 23.1% | 0.9 |
| 17 | South Carolina | 23.0% | 1.2 |
| 18 | Oregon | 22.9% | 1.0 |
| 19 | South Dakota | 22.4% | 2.0 |
| 20 | Maryland | 22.3% | 0.9 |
| 21 | Kentucky | 21.9% | 1.1 |
| 22 | Illinois | 21.5% | 0.5 |
| 23 | Ohio | 21.4% | 0.6 |
| 24 | Tennessee | 21.3% | 1.0 |
| 25 | Michigan | 21.2% | 0.8 |
| 26 | Montana | 21.2% | 1.7 |
| 27 | Missouri | 21.1% | 1.0 |
| 28 | Hawaii | 21.0% | 1.9 |
| 29 | Kansas | 20.7% | 1.2 |
| 30 | Arkansas | 20.5% | 1.5 |
| 31 | New Hampshire | 20.3% | 1.7 |
| 32 | Nebraska | 20.3% | 1.3 |
| 33 | Indiana | 20.2% | 1.0 |
| 34 | Pennsylvania | 19.8% | 0.6 |
| 35 | New Mexico | 19.7% | 1.2 |
| 36 | Maine | 19.6% | 1.5 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | 19.5% | 0.7 |
| 38 | Connecticut | 19.2% | 1.0 |
| 39 | Vermont | 19.2% | 1.9 |
| 40 | Louisiana | 19.0% | 1.1 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | 19.0% | 1.0 |
| 42 | New Jersey | 18.7% | 0.6 |
| 43 | Alabama | 18.7% | 1.3 |
| 44 | Iowa | 18.6% | 1.1 |
| 45 | Alaska | 17.3% | 2.1 |
| 46 | New York | 17.0% | 0.3 |
| 47 | Mississippi | 16.0% | 1.5 |
| North Dakota | no published estimate | ||
| Rhode Island | no published estimate | ||
| West Virginia | no published estimate | ||
| Wyoming | no published estimate |
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<a href="https://sauron.so/research/ai-use-statistics"><img src="https://sauron.so/research/charts/ai-use-by-state.png" alt="Tile map of the share of businesses using AI in each state, June 29 to September 20, 2026. Highest: District of Columbia 33.6%, Utah 30.1%, Delaware 28.0%, Colorado 27.5%, Arizona 26.6%. Lowest: Mississippi 16.0%, New York 17.0%, Alaska 17.3%, Iowa 18.6%, Alabama 18.7%." width="800" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>
<p>Chart: <a href="https://sauron.so/research/ai-use-statistics">Sauron Research</a></p>By industry: retail lags
About 1 in 6 retailers use AI, against nearly half of information businesses (45.9%).
Share of businesses using AI, by industry
Average of the six surveys from June 29 to September 20, 2026.
Show the numbers
| Item | Share using AI |
|---|---|
| Information | 45.9% |
| Professional services | 41.9% |
| Finance and insurance | 38.3% |
| Education | 35.4% |
| Real estate | 29.1% |
| Health care | 24.1% |
| All businesses | 22.8% |
| Admin and support services | 21% |
| Manufacturing | 20.6% |
| Wholesale | 19.5% |
| Arts and recreation | 18.8% |
| Utilities | 16% |
| Retail | 15.8% |
| Construction | 15.2% |
| Other services | 12.8% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 10.6% |
| Restaurants and hotels | 9.3% |
| Mining, oil and gas | 8.3% |
Download or embed this chart
Download PNG (1600px) Free to use. A link back to this page is appreciated.
<a href="https://sauron.so/research/ai-use-statistics"><img src="https://sauron.so/research/charts/ai-use-by-industry.png" alt="Bar chart of the share of businesses using AI by industry, June 29 to September 20, 2026: highest information 45.9%, retail 15.8% against 22.8% for all businesses, lowest mining, oil and gas 8.3%." width="800" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>
<p>Chart: <a href="https://sauron.so/research/ai-use-statistics">Sauron Research</a></p>17 industries shown. Agriculture and management of companies have no complete six-survey average. Every industry, with standard errors, is in the industry CSV.
By business size
Big firms lead, but the smallest businesses use AI more than those with 5 to 49 staff.
Share of businesses using AI, by number of employees
Average of the six surveys from June 29 to September 20, 2026.
Show the numbers
| Employees | Share using AI | Standard error |
|---|---|---|
| 1–4 | 22.8% | 0.2 |
| 5–9 | 20.9% | 0.3 |
| 10–19 | 21.6% | 0.3 |
| 20–49 | 23.3% | 0.4 |
| 50–99 | 27.8% | 0.6 |
| 100–249 | 33.2% | 0.8 |
| 250+ | 39.5% | 0.9 |
Download or embed this chart
Download PNG (1600px) Free to use. A link back to this page is appreciated.
<a href="https://sauron.so/research/ai-use-statistics"><img src="https://sauron.so/research/charts/ai-use-by-size.png" alt="Column chart: 39.5% of businesses with 250 or more employees used AI, against 22.8% of those with 1 to 4. Businesses with 5 to 19 employees used it least (20.9% and 21.6%)." width="800" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>
<p>Chart: <a href="https://sauron.so/research/ai-use-statistics">Sauron Research</a></p>Related research
What this means for small online stores
Most small businesses don't use AI yet, and retailers are among the slowest. For a small online store, the place it pays first is the work nobody has time for: researching what shoppers search for and writing the pages for it. That's what Sauron's AI SEO app for Shopify does.
About these figures
From the Census Bureau's Business Trends and Outlook Survey, an experimental survey of US employer businesses every two weeks (about 24,000 responses a round, a 12% response rate). It counts the share of businesses, not workers. AI use is self-reported; the question gives examples such as machine learning, natural language processing, virtual agents and voice recognition. State, industry and size figures average the latest six surveys to reduce noise. Standard errors cover sampling only.
Using these figures
Free to use. If you cite these figures, a mention of Sauron and a link back to this page is appreciated.
Suggested credit
Source: Sauron analysis of US Census Bureau Business Trends and Outlook Survey data, https://sauron.so/research/ai-use-statistics
Download the data AI use by state (CSV) AI use by industry (CSV) AI use by business size (CSV) Every survey since November 2025 (CSV)
Full method
- Source: the Census Bureau's Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), an experimental survey of US employer businesses that runs every two weeks. About 24,000 businesses respond each round (a response rate of about 12%). Census weights the answers to represent all employer businesses outside farming.
- The question: “In the last two weeks, did this business use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in any of its business functions?” with examples such as machine learning, natural language processing, virtual agents and voice recognition. A second question asks about the next six months. Answers are self-reported.
- The wording change: Census reworded the AI question on November 17, 2025 (period 202524). Earlier figures asked about AI “in producing goods or services” and aren't comparable. This page uses the new wording only.
- What it counts: the share of businesses, not the share of workers who use AI or how much they use it. A business with one employee counts the same as one with 10,000.
- States, industries and sizes: each figure is the average of the six latest two-week surveys (June 29 to September 20, 2026), which covers the survey's whole sample. Census publishes these breakdowns each round, but a single round's state figure can carry a large error. A state or industry with any missing round in the six has no average here.
- Standard errors: Census publishes them for each estimate; they cover sampling only. For the six-survey averages we give an approximate error (the six errors combined, treating rounds as independent). They're in the CSVs.
- DC: ranked with the states. Census publishes it as a state, and because this is a share of businesses it isn't inflated by commuters the way per-resident figures are.
- Updates: we refresh the page after each Census release. The next is October 22, 2026.
Sources
Questions (5)
What percentage of businesses use AI?
23.8% of US employer businesses said they used AI in the two weeks to Sep 20, 2026, according to the Census Bureau's Business Trends and Outlook Survey (published Oct 8, 2026). 27.7% expect to use it within six months.
Which states use AI most?
Utah, at 30.1% of businesses, then Delaware (28.0%), Colorado (27.5%) and Arizona (26.6%), averaging the six Census surveys from June 29 to September 20, 2026. Washington, DC is higher still, at 33.6%.
How many retailers use AI?
16.8% of US retailers used AI in the two weeks to Sep 20, 2026, about 1 in 6 (Census Bureau). Averaged over the six surveys from June 29 to September 20, 2026 it was 15.8%, against 22.8% for all businesses.
Do small businesses use AI?
Less than big ones. 22.8% of businesses with 1 to 4 employees used AI, against 39.5% of those with 250 or more (six-survey average, June 29 to September 20, 2026). Businesses with 5 to 19 employees used it least.
Why doesn't this page show AI use before November 2025?
Census reworded the question on November 17, 2025, so earlier figures measure something different. Comparing the two would overstate growth.