Idaho inventionINDEX September 2026: 1.51% (A- grade)

The inventionINDEX measures innovation output by comparing GDP growth with patent production growth.

Anything over C grade is positive sentiment; anything under C is negative outlook/sentiment. Using that sentiment, it is possible to observe trends over time, and also compare states/countries. In doing so, we can predict which states have the best chance to recover economically from the pandemic (or any other economic incident that may occur).

Historical Idaho inventionINDEX Scores

The Idaho inventionINDEX score for the past 12 months is shown in the table below.

The September 2026 Idaho inventionINDEX score of 1.51% with an A- rating reflects steady operational footing when evaluated against recent historical performance. This result represents a slight step down from August 2026’s strong 1.75% score and A+ rating, yet it demonstrates a meaningful recovery from the July 2026 low of 1.16% (C+). On a year-over-year basis, the current score edges out September 2025’s 1.49% (B+) and September 2024’s 1.49% (B+), illustrating consistent baseline resilience. Although the latest score sits just below the 60-month historical average of 1.70% and median of 1.61%, it signals stabilized momentum following earlier quarterly fluctuations.

A broader multi-year retrospective reveals significant structural shifts across the 60-month dataset. The index recorded its historical high in July 2023 at 4.29% (A+), following an anomalous trough of 0.11% (F) in June 2023. Between late 2023 and early 2024, the index experienced an extended expansion period, consistently surpassing the 2.00% mark with peaks such as 2.61% in October 2023 and 2.57% in January 2024. The current 1.51% rating aligns with the more moderated, consistent range observed throughout 2025 and 2026, indicating that the index has normalized into a predictable operational trajectory.

Achieving higher inventionINDEX scores and premium ratings like A- or A+ yields valuable economic and strategic advantages. Strong performance indicates high patent activity, active commercialization pipelines, and robust intellectual infrastructure. Elevated grades enhance regional reputation, helping to attract private equity, venture capital, and institutional research grants. Furthermore, higher scores reinforce stakeholder confidence, accelerate technology transfer from research institutions to commercial sectors, and foster an environment conducive to high-value job creation.

Conversely, lower scores and downgraded ratings introduce significant strategic challenges for the regional innovation ecosystem. Dips into lower tiers, such as C+ or F, point toward decelerated research output, diminished filing activity, or structural bottlenecks in bringing new technologies to market. Protracted periods of lower scores risk weakening competitive positioning against neighboring economic hubs, triggering venture capital reallocation, and stalling broader economic development across technology-driven industries.

Discussion:

In September, the Idaho inventionINDEX scored a positive sentiment which was higher than the previous year’s average but underperformed the upward trend for the year. This is in contrast to the prior 12 months, which experienced a slight downward trend.

As the economy continues to stabilize in the post-pandemic era, it remains uncertain whether any backlog of applications still exists or if the department has returned to normal processing timelines. The inventionINDEX could also be affected by lingering consequences from the pandemic, such as company closures, reduced workforces, and limited R&D capabilities, which may still be impacting current operations.

Learn More:
Are you thinking of patenting any of your bright ideas? Did you know your research work could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please check out our free online eligibility test.

Swanson Reed’s Idaho office provides R&D tax credit consulting and advisory services to Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Idaho Falls and Pocatello

Feel free to book a quick teleconference with one of R&D tax specialists if you would like to learn more about R&D tax credit opportunities.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is the largest Specialist R&D tax credit advisory firm in the United States. With offices nationwide, we are one of the only firms globally to exclusively provide R&D tax credit consulting services to our clients. We have been exclusively providing R&D tax credit claim preparation and audit compliance solutions for over 30 years.

Swanson Reed hosts daily free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPAs. For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/free-webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.