About one in four U.S. businesses now uses artificial intelligence in its operations. In the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest survey, 24.6% of employer businesses reported using AI in a business function in the two weeks ending October 18, 2026. Another 28.6% expect to be using it within six months.
Key Takeaways
- 24.6% of U.S. employer businesses used AI in the two weeks ending October 18, up from 23.8% two weeks earlier.
- 28.6% of businesses expect to be using AI within the next six months.
- In early May 2026, AI use stood at 19.8%, so the rate has risen nearly 5 points in about five months.
- As of May, about 37% of firms with 250 or more employees used AI, compared with under 20% of firms with four or fewer employees.
- Most AI-using firms apply the technology in three or fewer business functions, according to Census research.
Businesses Using AI Reach 24.6% in Latest Census Survey
The figures come from the Census Bureau’s Business Trends and Outlook Survey. Every two weeks, the survey asks a nationally representative sample of U.S. employer businesses whether they used AI in any business function during the previous two weeks. About 24,000 businesses respond in each round.
The latest reading of 24.6% builds on the 23.8% recorded in the two weeks ending October 4. Expected use moved up as well, from 27.7% to 28.6%. Because the survey runs every two weeks, it offers one of the most current views of businesses using AI available from a federal source.
AI Adoption Statistics for 2026 Show Steady Gains
The trend points in one direction. In the survey round ending May 3, 2026, 19.8% of businesses reported using AI. By mid-October, the rate had climbed nearly 5 percentage points. Expected adoption has stayed a few points above current use throughout the year, meaning more businesses plan to start using AI than already do.
One caution for comparing these AI adoption statistics for 2026 with older data: the Census Bureau reworded its AI question in November 2025. Figures from earlier years used a different question and are not directly comparable with the current series.
Enterprise AI Adoption Statistics Show Large Firms Lead
Company size makes a large difference. As of May 2026, about 37% of firms with 250 or more employees used AI, compared with under 20% of firms with four or fewer employees. Mid-sized firms fall in between. In the round ending October 4, 24.8% of firms with 20 to 49 employees used AI.
The gap reflects resources as much as interest. Larger firms are more likely to have technical staff, data systems and budgets to bring AI into their operations. For smaller firms, adoption often depends on whether AI tools fit the work they actually do.
How Businesses Are Using AI
The Census Bureau’s 2026 AI supplement to the survey gives a closer look at how businesses are using AI. Among firms that had adopted it, 57% used AI in three or fewer business functions. Use is typically narrow and targeted rather than company-wide.
Sales and marketing had the highest adoption rate of any business function, at 52% among AI-using firms. The supplement also found that adoption looks larger when weighted by employment. Over November 2025 to January 2026, 18% of firms used AI, but those firms employed 32% of workers, because large employers adopt at higher rates.
Why Census Figures Run Lower Than Other Surveys
Readers often see much higher AI adoption figures elsewhere, and the difference comes down to definitions. The Census survey counts businesses that used AI in an actual business function within the past two weeks. Some industry surveys count any use of generative AI tools, including occasional drafting or experimentation, which produces higher numbers.
The Census survey also covers only businesses with employees. According to the Small Business Administration, the U.S. has more than 36 million small businesses, and 82.3% of them have no employees. Those businesses fall outside the survey, so the Census figures describe employer firms specifically.
What Steady Adoption Means for Workers and Employers
For employers, the data suggests AI is becoming a routine tool rather than an experiment, especially at larger companies. Smaller businesses that compete with larger rivals may feel growing pressure to adopt, even if only in one or two functions such as marketing.
For workers, steady adoption raises questions about which roles change first. Those questions are already showing up in early-career hiring, with AI reshaping the entry-level job market. The next Census survey round, due in about two weeks, will show whether adoption keeps climbing.
FAQs
How Many Businesses Use AI?
About 24.6% of U.S. employer businesses used AI in a business function in the two weeks ending October 18, 2026, according to the Census Bureau’s Business Trends and Outlook Survey. Another 28.6% expect to be using AI within six months.
How Are Businesses Using AI?
Most businesses use AI narrowly. Among AI-using firms, 57% apply it in three or fewer business functions, according to Census research. Sales and marketing has the highest adoption of any function, at 52% of AI-using firms.
How Are Small Businesses Using AI?
Smaller businesses adopt AI at lower rates than large ones. As of May 2026, under 20% of firms with four or fewer employees used AI, while 24.8% of firms with 20 to 49 employees used it in early October. The Census survey covers only businesses with employees.
