U.S. Patent Office Examination Data Reveals Patent Application Trends: Page Code Explains It for You

Recently, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) released a patent examiner data report for February 2025, revealing the dynamic changes in patent applications and examinations in the United States in recent years. As a technology-driven technology service company focusing on global intellectual property, Page Code has deeply analyzed these data and combined with our professional experience to interpret the key trends and inspirations for you.

1. Number of examiners and turnover rate
According to the report, the number of examiners at the USPTO has grown steadily over the past decade, from about 8,000 in 2015 to nearly 8,600 in 2024. However, the turnover rate of examiners (including voluntary and involuntary departures) has also shown an upward trend, especially among junior examiners, with a turnover rate of 39% in 2024.

2. Review time and efficiency
The report shows that the proportion of time spent by reviewers on actual review has decreased in the past few years, from 73.1% in 2015 to 72.9% in 2024. At the same time, the proportion of other time (such as training, meetings, etc.) has increased.

3. Unexamined inventory and average examination period
As of 2024, the USPTO's unexamined patent application inventory has reached nearly 900,000, a record high. At the same time, the average first action pendency has been extended from about 16 months in 2015 to 20 months in 2024.

4. Examiner grading and examination efficiency
The report also shows that there are significant differences in examination efficiency among examiners of different levels. For example, a GS-7 examiner (junior) takes an average of 40 hours to complete an examination unit, while a GS-15 examiner (senior) only takes about 15 hours.

5. Future trends: Deep integration of technological innovation and intellectual property protection
With the acceleration of global technological innovation, the number of patent applications is expected to continue to grow. According to USPTO data, the first examination period in 2025 may be further extended to 25 months.

The official website of Yezhima provides this report from USPTO, and interested readers can download it by themselves.