Montana ranks #44 among US states for total patents filed in 2016, with 432 patents from 286 inventors across 49 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 0.4 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in Montana 2016
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Bozeman, MT | 141 | 78 |
| #2 | Kalispell, MT | 72 | 34 |
| #3 | Missoula, MT | 50 | 38 |
| #4 | Billings, MT | 29 | 28 |
| #5 | Bigfork, MT | 17 | 10 |
| #6 | Belgrade, MT | 15 | 13 |
| #7 | Hamilton, MT | 10 | 6 |
| #8 | Helena, MT | 10 | 9 |
| #9 | Butte, MT | 7 | 7 |
| #10 | Whitefish, MT | 7 | 6 |
| #11 | Big Sky, MT | 7 | 1 |
| #12 | Corvallis, MT | 5 | 2 |
| #13 | Columbia Falls, MT | 4 | 3 |
| #14 | Darby, MT | 4 | 3 |
| #15 | Laurel, MT | 3 | 2 |
| #16 | Philipsburg, MT | 3 | 2 |
| #17 | Glasgow, MT | 3 | 3 |
| #18 | Ronan, MT | 3 | 3 |
| #19 | Livingston, MT | 3 | 2 |
| #20 | Polson, MT | 2 | 2 |
| #21 | Potomac, MT | 2 | 1 |
| #22 | Roundup, MT | 2 | 2 |
| #23 | Seeley Lake, MT | 2 | 2 |
| #24 | Townsend, MT | 2 | 1 |
| #25 | Great Falls, MT | 2 | 2 |