North Dakota ranks #48 among US states for total patents filed in 2016, with 280 patents from 181 inventors across 41 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 North Dakota 2016
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Fargo, ND | 109 | 64 |
| #2 | West Fargo, ND | 25 | 18 |
| #3 | Mayville, ND | 25 | 18 |
| #4 | Bismarck, ND | 24 | 15 |
| #5 | Jamestown, ND | 20 | 8 |
| #6 | Mandan, ND | 7 | 4 |
| #7 | Williston, ND | 5 | 2 |
| #8 | Linton, ND | 5 | 3 |
| #9 | Center, ND | 5 | 1 |
| #10 | Watford City, ND | 4 | 4 |
| #11 | Dickinson, ND | 4 | 4 |
| #12 | Carrington, ND | 4 | 3 |
| #13 | Kindred, ND | 4 | 3 |
| #14 | Hankinson, ND | 3 | 2 |
| #15 | Horace, ND | 3 | 2 |
| #16 | Hickson, ND | 2 | 1 |
| #17 | Portland, ND | 2 | 1 |
| #18 | Turtle Lake, ND | 2 | 2 |
| #19 | Kenmare, ND | 2 | 2 |
| #20 | Langdon, ND | 2 | 1 |
| #21 | Lisbon, ND | 2 | 2 |
| #22 | Mooreton, ND | 2 | 2 |
| #23 | Arthur, ND | 1 | 1 |
| #24 | Bottineau, ND | 1 | 1 |
| #25 | Burlington, ND | 1 | 1 |