Oregon inventionINDEX September 2026: 1.93% (B 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 Oregon inventionINDEX Scores

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

The Oregon inventionINDEX for September 2026 registered at 1.93 percent with a B rating, reflecting a stable output that aligns closely with long-term historical norms. This performance marks a sustained recovery from the springtime deceleration in April and May 2026, when scores dipped to 0.93 percent and 0.87 percent respectively, both carrying C- ratings. While September’s result sits below the early-year peak of 2.73 percent recorded in March 2026, it closely mirrors the 60-month historical mean of approximately 1.97 percent. Relative to the previous year, the current 1.93 percent score shows moderate consolidation compared to September 2025’s 2.45 percent A- rating, yet demonstrates solid middle-tier consistency within the state’s innovation track record.

A broader examination of the five-year dataset reveals notable volatility alongside periodic bursts of exceptional momentum. The highest score in the recorded history occurred in October 2023, reaching an extraordinary peak of 7.06 percent with an A+ rating, followed by strong performances in January 2024 at 2.93 percent and July 2024 at 2.90 percent. Conversely, the index experienced its most severe downturn in January 2023, falling to negative 0.55 percent with an F rating, which stands as the sole negative reading in the entire 60-month dataset. Across the evaluated timeframe, ratings in the B tier dominate the distribution, indicating that Oregon’s creative and commercial baseline remains fundamentally resilient despite broader macroeconomic fluctuations.

Achieving higher inventionINDEX scores and top-tier ratings such as A or A+ yields profound positive outcomes for the regional economy. Stronger scores signal a vibrant innovation ecosystem characterized by accelerated patent filings, aggressive research and development expansion, and efficient technology transfer from academic institutions to active markets. High grades bolster investor confidence, attracting institutional venture capital, encouraging startup formation, and prompting established technology enterprises to expand local operations. Furthermore, elevated ratings enhance regional prestige, generating a compounding effect that draws top-tier engineering talent and specialized capital to Oregon.

Conversely, drops into lower scoring tiers like C or F carry restrictive implications for regional growth and competitiveness. Lower scores frequently stem from reduced capital availability, regulatory delays, declining research output, or broader macroeconomic contractions that stall intellectual property commercialization pipelines. When scores remain depressed, risk-averse investors tend to reduce early-stage funding, potentially causing high-potential projects to stall or relocate to more supportive environments. Mitigating these lower cycles requires strategic public-private partnerships, targeted innovation grants, and policy support designed to re-ignite venture activity and return scores to upper-tier ratings.

Discussion:

In September, the Oregon inventionINDEX scored a positive sentiment which was higher than the previous year’s average and outperformed the upward trend for the year. This is similar to the prior 12 months, which experienced an upward 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 Oregon office provides R&D tax credit consulting and advisory services to Portland, Eugene, Salem, Gresham, Hillsboro, Beaverton, Bend, Medford, Springfield and Corvallis

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.