WISCONSIN INVENTION INDEX – MARCH 2025

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

Wisconsin Invention Index March 2025: 1.75% (A+ grade)

Wisconsin 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).

Wisconsin Invention Index Scores (Sept 2024 – Mar 2025)

Analysis

Comparison with Previous Months:
The March 2025 score of 1.75% shows a rebound from February’s lower score of 1.41%. This indicates a moderate upward shift (+0.34%) after a two-month dip from December (1.98%) to February. While not the highest score in the period, March’s value is close to the six-month average and returns Wisconsin to an A+ rating.

Long-Term Trends:
Across the seven-month span, the scores show some fluctuation but remain mostly within a range of 1.29% to 2.14%. The general trend reflects a high level of consistency in performance, with four months earning A+ ratings. However, there are periodic dips, such as in November (1.29%) and February (1.41%), suggesting short-term variations rather than sustained decline or growth.

Significant Changes:
October 2024 stands out with the highest score (2.14%), representing a sharp increase from September (1.76%) and the peak of the period. Conversely, November 2024 marked the lowest point at 1.29%, a significant drop of 0.85% from October. These back-to-back shifts highlight volatility during that time frame.

Contextualizing the Data:
March 2025’s score of 1.75% nearly mirrors the September 2024 value, suggesting a return to early trend levels after February’s decline. Given the relatively stable range and recurring A+ ratings, March’s score likely reflects a normalization rather than a new upward trend, aligning with the overall performance pattern seen across these months.

Discussion:

In March, the Wisconsin Invention Index scored a positive sentiment which was lower than the previous year’s average but outperformed the downward trend for the year. This is in contrast to the prior 12 months, which experienced a considerable upward 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.

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