Enterprise AI in Numbers · Adoption and spend
Share of US businesses using AI
24.6%
24.6% as of October 18, 2026, according to US Census Bureau, Business Trends and Outlook Survey, up from 23.8% on October 4, 2026. Share of businesses that used artificial intelligence to produce goods or services in the two weeks before the survey, as estimated by the US Census Bureau.
What it means for leaders
About one in four US businesses now uses AI to produce goods or services, and in information, finance and professional services the share is closer to one in two. If your sector is above the national line, competitors are already in production.
What would change the reading: A fall in two consecutive rounds, or a widening gap between sectors.
The trend
By sector
Every reading
| Date | Value | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24.6% | +0.8 points | Source | |
| 23.8% | ±0.0 points | Source | |
| 23.8% | +0.6 points | Source | |
| 23.2% | +0.8 points | Source | |
| 22.4% | +0.6 points | Source | |
| 21.8% | +0.3 points | Source | |
| 21.5% | −0.2 points | Source | |
| 21.7% | +1.1 points | Source | |
| 20.6% | ±0.0 points | Source | |
| 20.6% | ±0.0 points | Source | |
| 20.6% | +1.1 points | Source | |
| 19.5% | −0.3 points | Source | |
| 19.8% | ±0.0 points | Source | |
| 19.8% | +0.7 points | Source | |
| 19.1% | +0.2 points | Source | |
| 18.9% | +0.7 points | Source | |
| 18.2% | +0.7 points | Source | |
| 17.5% | −1.4 points | Source | |
| 18.9% | +0.7 points | Source | |
| 18.2% | +0.5 points | Source | |
| 17.7% | −0.1 points | Source | |
| 17.8% | +0.6 points | Source | |
| 17.2% | −0.1 points | Source | |
| 17.3% | — | Source |
Definition and method
- What it measures
- Share of businesses that used artificial intelligence to produce goods or services in the two weeks before the survey, as estimated by the US Census Bureau.
- Population
- US employer businesses responding to the Census Bureau's Business Trends and Outlook Survey
- Updated
- Every two weeks
- Source
- US Census Bureau, Business Trends and Outlook Survey · Public domain (US government work)
Caveats
- The survey asks about use in production of goods or services, so internal use such as drafting email may not count.
- Sector figures come from smaller samples and move more from one survey round to the next.
Cite this
Enterprise AI in Numbers, "Share of US businesses using AI", https://lucianoayres.com/ai-brief/data/us-business-ai-use/, retrieved October 25, 2026. Data: US Census Bureau, Business Trends and Outlook Survey.