How many U.S. businesses use AI? The official 2026 data
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 19.8% of U.S. businesses used artificial intelligence in the two weeks ending May 3, 2026: roughly one in five. Use is higher at large firms (37% of firms with 250+ employees) and in sectors like information (39.7%) and finance. Between December 2025 and May 2026 it grew among firms with 20 or more employees, but not among smaller ones.
- 19.8%of U.S. businesses used AI in the last two weeksCensus, May 2026
- 37%of firms with 250+ employees use AICensus, May 2026
- 39.7%of firms in the Information sector use AI, the highest rateCensus, May 2026
- 41%of workers use generative AI at workFed, Nov. 2025 data
About 1 in 5 businesses
Each square is 1% of U.S. businesses. Filled: businesses that used AI in the two weeks ending May 3, 2026 (19.8%).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS)
AI use by industry
Share of firms using AI, average of the four surveys through the end of 2025.
View the data
| Sector | Value |
|---|---|
| Information | 37% |
| Professional, scientific & technical services | ≈33% |
| Finance | ≈30% |
| Real estate, rental & leasing | 24% |
| Wholesale trade | 13% |
| Accommodation & food services | 8% |
Source: Federal Reserve Board, FEDS Notes. ≈ approximate (the source says “about”)
Bigger firms adopt faster
Share of firms using AI by size, two weeks ending May 3, 2026. Firms with 4 or fewer employees: under 20%.
View the data
| Size | Value |
|---|---|
| 250+ employees | 37% |
| 100–249 employees | 32% |
| National | 19.8% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS)
Where it’s heading in the next six months
Current use and expected use in six months, by sector, as of May 3, 2026.
- Today
- Expected in 6 months
View the data
| Sector | Today | In 6 months |
|---|---|---|
| Information | 39.7% | ≈42% |
| Finance & insurance | 33.9% | ≈39% |
| Retail trade | ≈14% | ≈17% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS). ≈ approximate (the source says “about”)
Why the numbers you read don’t match
The same question, measured three ways, at the end of 2025.
View the data
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Share of firms using AI (Census BTOS, end of 2025) | 18% |
| Workers who use generative AI at work (Real-Time Population Survey, Nov. 2025) | 41% |
| Workers employed at firms that use AI (Atlanta Fed, weighted by employment, Nov. 2025) | 78% |
Few large firms, most of the jobs
Share of U.S. firms and of employment by firm size.
- Share of firms
- Share of employment
View the data
| Size | Firms | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| 1–49 | 95% | 26.6% |
| 50–99 | 2.6% | 7.6% |
| 100–249 | 1.5% | 9.7% |
| 250+ | 0.9% | 56.2% |
What the data shows
- AI is still a minority. In early May 2026, 19.8% of U.S. businesses said they had used AI in the last two weeks. At the end of 2025 the figure was about 18%.
- Size makes the difference. 37% of firms with 250 or more employees use AI, and 32% of those with 100 to 249. Among firms with 4 or fewer employees, the figure is under 20%.
- Growth is coming from firms with 20+ employees. According to the Census Bureau, use increased in that group between December 2025 and May 2026 and didn’t change significantly among smaller firms.
- Some industries are far ahead. Information, professional services and finance are above 30%. Real estate is around 24%, wholesale trade 13% and accommodation and food services 8%.
- Businesses expect to use more AI. For the six months after May 3, the information sector expected to go from 39.7% to about 42%, and finance and insurance from 33.9% to roughly 39%.
Why other numbers say 70% or 80%
Search for “how many businesses use AI” and you’ll find very different numbers. They don’t always contradict each other: they measure different things.
- Firms that use AI (Census): counts every firm once, whether it has one employee or ten thousand. Since most U.S. firms are small, the result is low: about 18% at the end of 2025.
- Workers who use generative AI at work (Real-Time Population Survey, cited by the Federal Reserve): about 41% in November 2025. Many people use tools like ChatGPT even if their company has no formal AI project.
- Workers at firms that use AI (Atlanta Fed survey, weighted by employment): about 78%. It gives more weight to large firms, which are few but employ most people.
The last chart in the dashboard explains it: firms with 250 or more employees are 0.9% of all firms, but they employ 56.2% of workers. That’s why surveys of business owners, or surveys weighted by employment, usually show much higher numbers than the Census Bureau.
What it means for a mid-sized company
- There’s still an advantage in starting now. Four out of five businesses don’t use AI in their operations. But among firms with 100 or more employees, use is already above 30%, and firms with 20 or more employees are where it’s growing.
- Using AI isn’t the same as integrating it. Your team using an AI chat counts as “use,” but it doesn’t change how invoices get processed, how leads get answered or how orders get entered. The difference is connecting AI to your systems and processes.
- Industries with lower adoption have more room. In sectors like wholesale trade or real estate, most firms still don’t use AI: whoever gets there first on key processes can stand out.
How to read this data carefully
- The question changed in November 2025. Before, the Census Bureau asked about using AI “in producing goods or services.” Now it asks about use “in any business function.” Numbers from before and after aren’t directly comparable.
- It’s a two-week snapshot. The survey asks whether the business used AI in the last two weeks and repeats every two weeks.
- Some values are approximate. When the source says “about,” we mark it with ≈ in the dashboard.
- We use the latest Census Bureau analysis (May 2026) and the Federal Reserve note (April 2026). The Census Bureau publishes new data every two weeks on its website.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, Large Firms With at Least 20 Employees Biggest AI Users, May 26, 2026. Data from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS).
- Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Monitoring AI Adoption in the US Economy, FEDS Notes, April 3, 2026.
Next step
If you want to know which processes in your company to start with, in a free AI assessment we review how your team works today and tell you in writing. And if you already use AI but it isn’t connected to your systems, see how we handle integrations and ongoing operation.