Massachusetts ranks #5 among US states for total patents filed in 2016, with 22,833 patents from 12,163 inventors across 378 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 3.2 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in Massachusetts 2016
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Cambridge, MA | 2,186 | 1,174 |
| #2 | Boston, MA | 1,276 | 707 |
| #3 | Lexington, MA | 971 | 421 |
| #4 | Newton, MA | 953 | 500 |
| #5 | Brookline, MA | 930 | 399 |
| #6 | Arlington, MA | 708 | 357 |
| #7 | Somerville, MA | 677 | 386 |
| #8 | Waltham, MA | 470 | 272 |
| #9 | Acton, MA | 427 | 228 |
| #10 | Andover, MA | 374 | 187 |
| #11 | Belmont, MA | 337 | 199 |
| #12 | Shrewsbury, MA | 320 | 143 |
| #13 | Westford, MA | 314 | 189 |
| #14 | Winchester, MA | 313 | 154 |
| #15 | Watertown, MA | 310 | 198 |
| #16 | Sudbury, MA | 297 | 150 |
| #17 | Framingham, MA | 295 | 162 |
| #18 | Natick, MA | 269 | 156 |
| #19 | Concord, MA | 265 | 122 |
| #20 | Marlborough, MA | 263 | 125 |
| #21 | Needham, MA | 251 | 135 |
| #22 | Wellesley, MA | 237 | 123 |
| #23 | Bedford, MA | 234 | 126 |
| #24 | Westborough, MA | 216 | 90 |
| #25 | North Andover, MA | 209 | 99 |