OKLAHOMA INVENTION INDEX – MARCH 2025

The Invention Index measures a country’s or state’s innovation output by comparing GDP growth with patent production growth. 

Oklahoma Invention Index March 2025: 2.97% (A+ grade)

Oklahoma Invention Index over the last year:

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).

Oklahoma Invention Index Scores (Sep 2024 – Mar 2025)

Analysis

Comparison with Previous Months:
The March 2025 Invention Index score for Oklahoma was 2.97%, marking the highest score in the seven-month period. Compared to February’s 2.38%, this represents a noticeable increase of 0.59 percentage points. A similar upward shift occurred from January to February (1.35% to 2.38%). In contrast, from December to January, there was a decline (1.79% to 1.35%), suggesting some volatility.

Long-Term Trends:
Over the six-month span from September 2024 to March 2025, Oklahoma’s Invention Index demonstrates an overall upward trend. The initial score in September was a low 0.61%, and though scores fluctuated, the general trajectory leads to the peak in March. The month-to-month changes, while not uniform, indicate a pattern of recovery and growth after occasional dips.

Significant Changes:
The most significant jump occurred between September and October 2024, rising from 0.61% to 2.38%. This sharp increase was followed by a moderate decline and gradual stabilization until another jump between January and February 2025. March 2025 saw another significant increase, reaching a new high of 2.97%.

Contextualizing the Data:
The March 2025 score stands out as a potential new benchmark rather than a short-term spike. Following two consecutive months of improvement, it may signal sustained upward momentum. While further data is needed to confirm a long-term trend, March’s performance aligns with a broader positive trajectory over the past six months.

Discussion:

In March, the Oklahoma Invention Index scored a positive sentiment which was higher than the previous year’s average and outperformed the downward trend for the year. This is similar to the prior 12 months, which experienced a downward trend. As the world continues to recover from the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is unclear if there is any backlog of applications awaiting approval or if the department has fully caught up. If approvals are not yet caught up, we may see a decrease in approvals – and a reduced Invention Index – in the coming months/years as the state feels the full economic impact of companies closing and/or being forced to minimize their staffing and therefore minimize their R&D work hours.

Learn more about the Invention Index here.

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 contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is one of the U.S.’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firms. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program, from claim preparation and audit compliance to claim disputes.

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