North Carolina ranks #12 among US states for total patents filed in 2016, with 11,049 patents from 5,540 inventors across 293 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 1.1 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in North Carolina 2016
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Raleigh, NC | 2,065 | 899 |
| #2 | Cary, NC | 1,511 | 650 |
| #3 | Durham, NC | 1,153 | 532 |
| #4 | Charlotte, NC | 961 | 495 |
| #5 | Chapel Hill, NC | 643 | 320 |
| #6 | Apex, NC | 511 | 224 |
| #7 | Morrisville, NC | 399 | 184 |
| #8 | Winston-Salem, NC | 247 | 137 |
| #9 | Hickory, NC | 198 | 77 |
| #10 | Wake Forest, NC | 196 | 98 |
| #11 | Greensboro, NC | 168 | 120 |
| #12 | Wilmington, NC | 119 | 94 |
| #13 | Holly Springs, NC | 118 | 66 |
| #14 | Fuquay-Varina, NC | 92 | 52 |
| #15 | Concord, NC | 79 | 42 |
| #16 | Huntersville, NC | 73 | 50 |
| #17 | Hillsborough, NC | 72 | 42 |
| #18 | Waxhaw, NC | 71 | 48 |
| #19 | Asheville, NC | 64 | 46 |
| #20 | Mooresville, NC | 63 | 41 |
| #21 | Clemmons, NC | 60 | 36 |
| #22 | Carrboro, NC | 59 | 25 |
| #23 | Clayton, NC | 58 | 36 |
| #24 | Matthews, NC | 55 | 32 |
| #25 | Oak Ridge, NC | 55 | 33 |