South Dakota ranks #47 among US states for total patents filed in 2016, with 304 patents from 201 inventors across 61 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 0.3 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in South Dakota 2016
| Rank ↑ | City ↕ | Patents ↕ | Inventors ↕ |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Sioux Falls, SD | 121 | 69 |
| #2 | Brookings, SD | 29 | 19 |
| #3 | Rapid City, SD | 14 | 11 |
| #4 | Yankton, SD | 14 | 9 |
| #5 | Mitchell, SD | 10 | 4 |
| #6 | Dakota Dunes, SD | 7 | 6 |
| #7 | Volga, SD | 6 | 3 |
| #8 | Brandon, SD | 6 | 5 |
| #9 | Tea, SD | 4 | 3 |
| #10 | Vermillion, SD | 4 | 3 |
| #11 | Box Elder, SD | 4 | 4 |
| #12 | Centerville, SD | 4 | 1 |
| #13 | Menno, SD | 4 | 2 |
| #14 | Salem, SD | 4 | 1 |
| #15 | Harrisburg, SD | 3 | 3 |
| #16 | Baltic, SD | 3 | 2 |
| #17 | Worthing, SD | 3 | 1 |
| #18 | Marion, SD | 3 | 1 |
| #19 | Beresford, SD | 3 | 3 |
| #20 | Huron, SD | 3 | 3 |
| #21 | Elk Point, SD | 2 | 2 |
| #22 | Arlington, SD | 2 | 2 |
| #23 | Estelline, SD | 2 | 2 |
| #24 | Spearfish, SD | 2 | 1 |
| #25 | Trent, SD | 2 | 2 |