U.S. Trademark Registration Statistics: Approval Rates

How many U.S. trademark applications register, what changes the odds, and how long it takes. Each figure below is computed from USPTO data and refreshed as new filings and decisions come in. Free to cite with a link.

By TrademarkMind Data as of October 3, 2026 Source: USPTO bulk data and file histories

About six in ten applications register, and that has not changed in years

Of the applications filed in 2021 that have been decided, 62.8% reached registration. Every filing year from 2010 to 2021 lands in a narrow band, between 60.8% and 63.7%. The number of people filing has changed a great deal over that time. The share who succeed has not.

Filed	Approval rate	Applications	Still pending
2010	60.8%	284,562	0%
2011	61.4%	308,769	0%
2012	61.9%	317,037	0%
2013	61.9%	328,205	0%
2014	61.8%	346,979	0%
2015	61.5%	380,303	0%
2016	62.0%	401,644	0%
2017	62.2%	452,831	0.1%
2018	61.9%	472,137	0.2%
2019	60.8%	497,969	0.4%
2020	63.7%	665,727	0.9%
2021	62.8%	673,574	3%
2022	61.0%	551,244	5.1%
2023	63.1%	547,946	11.1%
2024	65.6%	597,126	16.5%
2025	68.8%	625,615	34.2%

DecidedStill being decided: the rate will fall as late abandonments come in

Figure 1. Share of decided U.S. trademark applications that reached registration, by filing year. A mark that registered and later lapsed counts as registered; pending applications are left out. Bars are on a 0 to 100% scale. Download (CSV). More detail on the approval rate page.

An attorney raises the odds, mostly after an Office Action

Of applications filed 2015–2019, 67.0% of those with an attorney on record registered, against 49.1% of those filed without one. Both groups drew Office Actions at similar rates (57.1% and 61.3%). The gap opens at the response: applicants without an attorney left 56.2% of their Office Actions unanswered, against 24.6% with one.

People who hire counsel differ from people who do not in ways the data cannot see, so read this as where applications are lost, not as proof that an attorney causes a registration.

For the figures that match your own filing (your class, with or without an attorney, already selling or not yet), use the approval odds calculator.

Most applications get an Office Action. A third of those are never answered.

58.4% of applications drew at least one Office Action. 34.8% of those were abandoned because nobody answered in time, while 80.9% of applicants who did answer went on to register. 8.9% of all applications reached a final refusal. The full breakdown by class is in what happens after a USPTO Office Action.

The class you file in matters

Among classes with at least 50,000 applications, the lowest approval rates are in Light Beverages (52%), Telecommunications (53%), Pharmaceuticals (54%). The highest are in Machinery (76%), Rubber Goods (75%), Metal Goods (75%). The all-class average is 61.9%.

Nice class	Approval rate	Office Action	Unanswered	Median months
Class 23 Yarns & Threads	76.8%	64.8%	22.4%	13.1
Class 7 Machinery	76.1%	70.2%	20.5%	13.5
Class 17 Rubber Goods	75.0%	70.4%	19.5%	13.8
Class 6 Metal Goods	74.6%	68.9%	21.5%	13.5
Class 2 Paints	74.4%	64.5%	24.4%	12.6
Class 1 Chemicals	72.0%	63.2%	22.9%	13.6
Class 11 Environmental Control	71.8%	62.5%	26.1%	11.7
Class 22 Cordage	71.4%	63.8%	23.9%	11.9
Class 8 Hand Tools	71.0%	60.9%	24.6%	11.4
Class 15 Musical Instruments	70.9%	58.8%	32.7%	10.6
Class 19 Building Materials	69.8%	67.8%	27.1%	13.8
Class 26 Fancy Goods	68.9%	59.4%	32.1%	9.8
Class 27 Floor Coverings	68.9%	59.0%	25.4%	12.9
Class 37 Building & Construction	68.8%	66.5%	26.3%	12.6
Class 12 Vehicles	68.6%	64.6%	27.1%	12.8
Class 20 Furniture	68.0%	61.2%	28.7%	12.4
Class 21 Housewares	67.5%	58.5%	27.6%	11.1
Class 13 Firearms	67.1%	54.9%	34.8%	12.2
Class 24 Fabrics	66.1%	59.6%	28.7%	11.9
Class 4 Lubricants & Fuels	65.3%	62.2%	27.1%	13
Class 39 Transportation & Storage	65.0%	66.5%	27.2%	13.2
Class 40 Treatment & Processing	64.9%	70.1%	25.6%	13.6
Class 10 Medical Apparatus	63.4%	61.2%	24.9%	13.3
Class 14 Jewelry	63.2%	58.9%	32.7%	10.8
Class 36 Insurance & Financial	63.1%	61.2%	30.7%	12.2
Class 18 Leather Goods	63.0%	60.2%	27.7%	12.1
Class 45 Legal & Security Services	62.9%	63.5%	30.0%	12.2
Class 31 Natural Agricultural Products	62.8%	63.2%	33.5%	13.3
Class 16 Paper Goods	62.1%	63.6%	28.2%	13.3
Class 28 Toys & Sporting Goods	62.1%	56.4%	29.5%	12.2
Class 42 Computer & Scientific	61.9%	67.9%	24.9%	13.8
Class 41 Education & Entertainment	61.4%	62.4%	31.0%	11.9
Class 44 Medical Services	61.4%	63.3%	33.5%	11.9
Class 9 Computers & Electronics	60.8%	63.7%	27.3%	13
Class 29 Meats & Processed Foods	60.8%	63.1%	31.2%	13.3
Class 35 Advertising & Business	60.7%	65.1%	30.9%	12.5
Class 30 Staple Foods	59.6%	61.8%	35.0%	12.5
Class 43 Hotels & Restaurants	59.3%	58.9%	35.2%	12
Class 3 Cosmetics & Cleaning	59.2%	60.7%	35.8%	12.8
Class 33 Wine & Spirits	55.0%	55.4%	39.6%	13.1
Class 34 Smokers Articles	54.1%	62.6%	45.9%	12
Class 5 Pharmaceuticals	53.9%	57.1%	36.5%	12.8
Class 25 Clothing	53.9%	57.9%	42.0%	11.9
Class 38 Telecommunications	53.0%	75.0%	25.9%	15.4
Class 32 Light Beverages	51.7%	56.8%	39.3%	13

Figure 2. Approval rate by Nice class over all applications ever filed in the class, with examination outcomes for applications filed 2015–2019. "Unanswered" is the share of Office Actions nobody answered. An application counts once in every class it claims. Download (CSV).

Registration takes about a year

Half of the applications that registered did so within 11.3 months of filing, and nine in ten within 26.4 months. An Office Action, or filing on intent to use, is what puts an application in the long tail. Current USPTO processing times, step by step, are on their own page. 43.9% of intent-to-use applications that were allowed were still abandoned because proof of use was never filed.

Filing volume

U.S. trademark filings peaked in 2021 at 673,574 applications. 2025 saw 625,615. Year-by-year detail is in the year in review.

Common questions

What percentage of trademark applications are approved?

About 63% of U.S. trademark applications that have been decided reach registration. Every filing year from 2010 to 2021 landed between 61% and 64%, counting marks that registered and later lapsed, and leaving out applications still pending.

Does hiring a trademark attorney improve your chances?

Of U.S. applications filed 2015-2019, 67% of those with an attorney on record registered, against 49% of those filed without one. Most of the gap comes after an Office Action: applicants without an attorney left 56% of theirs unanswered, against 25% with one.

How many trademark applications get an Office Action?

58% of U.S. applications filed 2015-2019 drew at least one Office Action. 35% of those were abandoned because nobody answered in time, while 81% of applicants who answered went on to register.

How long does it take to register a trademark in the U.S.?

Half of the applications that registered did so within 11.3 months of filing, and nine in ten within 26.4 months.

Which trademark classes are hardest to register in?

Among classes with at least 50,000 applications, the lowest approval rates are in Class 32 Light Beverages (52%), Class 38 Telecommunications (53%), Class 5 Pharmaceuticals (54%). The highest are in Class 7 Machinery (76%), Class 17 Rubber Goods (75%), Class 6 Metal Goods (75%).

U.S. trademark registration statistics