Wisconsin inventionINDEX August 2026: 2.19% (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 August 2026 Wisconsin inventionINDEX score of 2.19% with an A+ rating demonstrates robust performance, positioning itself comfortably above the 60-month historical mean of 1.67%. Analyzing the five-year trajectory reveals a notable return to stability following periods of heightened volatility in prior years. While the August 2026 metric remains below the historical peak of 3.69% recorded in May 2023, it reflects a decisive rebound from historical troughs such as July 2022 (-0.56%) and June 2023 (-0.53%).

A long-term examination of the dataset highlights significant consistency in recent performance compared to earlier years. Across the 61 total periods recorded, the index achieved an A+ rating 35 times, indicating a durable underlying baseline for regional innovation. Lower tiers such as B-, C, or F grades were predominantly concentrated between late 2021 and mid-2023, whereas the period spanning 2024 through 2026 maintained steady momentum dominated by A and A+ evaluations.

Achieving higher scores and maintaining top-tier grades yields substantial strategic benefits for the state economic ecosystem. Elevated ratings signal strong intellectual property creation and commercial vitality, which actively attract venture capital investment, encourage private-public research partnerships, and draw top engineering talent to regional technology hubs. Furthermore, consistent A-grade performance correlates with faster patent commercialization and broader industrial growth.

Conversely, prolonged score reductions or dips into lower letter grades carry noticeable negative consequences for regional development. Depressed ratings point to stagnating research output, pipeline bottlenecks, and increased sensitivity to broader economic downturns. When index scores fall into sub-tier territory, institutional funding often contracts, early-stage startups experience capital shortages, and key talent risks relocating to more competitive innovation markets.

Discussion:

In August, the Wisconsin 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 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.

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inventionINDEX Score – Historical Table for the last 60 months:
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