Wisconsin inventionINDEX July 2026: 1.71% (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 Wisconsin inventionINDEX Scores

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

The latest Wisconsin inventionINDEX score of 1.71% for July 2026, paired with an A+ rating, reflects a solid and mature innovation environment when evaluated against the 60-month historical dataset. This result places the current index comfortably above the five-year historical mean of approximately 1.66%, continuing a robust trend observed throughout 2026. While July’s mark represents a moderate consolidation from June 2026’s high of 2.44% and March 2026’s peak of 2.51%, it remains well within the top tier of historical performance. More importantly, the current trajectory stands in stark contrast to past cyclical troughs, such as the negative scores recorded in July 2022 (-0.56%) and June 2023 (-0.53%), highlighting substantial structural improvements in the state’s invention momentum over time.

Examining the full five-year distribution demonstrates a clear multi-year evolution toward higher baseline performance. Across the 61 total monthly observations from July 2021 through July 2026, the index achieved an A+ rating in 34 separate months, representing more than half of the recorded timeframe. Earlier periods in 2021 and 2022 exhibited more volatile and modest outcomes, including a C rating in December 2021 (1.06%) and frequent B-level grades. Following the record peak of 3.69% in May 2023, the index stabilized into a tighter, healthier band, rarely dipping below 1.25% in 2024, 2025, and 2026. This sustained high-grade environment indicates that regional inventive activities have transitioned from sporadic spikes into a reliable, ongoing growth pattern.

Sustaining higher grades such as A and A+ yields major positive economic outcomes for Wisconsin’s innovation ecosystem. Elevated scores signal vibrant intellectual property creation, efficient technology transfer from research institutions, and robust entrepreneurial initiative across key industrial sectors. These strong metrics build investor confidence, attracting venture capital, corporate research investments, and specialized technical talent to the region. Furthermore, consistently high invention ratings enhance overall state economic competitiveness, fostering an environment where novel ideas rapidly commercialize into scalable enterprises and high-value jobs.

Conversely, lower index scores and depressed letter grades carry notable negative implications for economic vitality. Drops into the B- or C categories—and especially negative readings that trigger F ratings—indicate contractions in inventive output, reduced patenting volume, or broader macroeconomic stress impacting research funding. Extended periods of low scores can lead to capital flight, diminished talent recruitment, and a stagnation in new business formation. Monitoring these downturns allows policymakers, institutional leaders, and economic development agencies to implement targeted interventions, ensuring that temporary dips do not turn into long-term structural declines.

Discussion:

In July, the Wisconsin inventionINDEX scored a positive sentiment which was lower than the previous year’s average and underperformed 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 Wisconsin office provides R&D tax credit consulting and advisory services to Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Kenosha, Racine, Appleton, Waukesha, Eau Claire, Oshkosh and Janesville

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.