Virginia ranks #21 among US states for total patents filed in 2016, with 5,752 patents from 3,378 inventors across 257 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 0.7 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in Virginia 2016
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Arlington, VA | 304 | 183 |
| #2 | Vienna, VA | 283 | 104 |
| #3 | McLean, VA | 279 | 129 |
| #4 | Richmond, VA | 277 | 171 |
| #5 | Ashburn, VA | 272 | 132 |
| #6 | Charlottesville, VA | 272 | 121 |
| #7 | Alexandria, VA | 238 | 161 |
| #8 | Fairfax, VA | 220 | 144 |
| #9 | Herndon, VA | 219 | 111 |
| #10 | Midlothian, VA | 188 | 107 |
| #11 | Reston, VA | 184 | 100 |
| #12 | Blacksburg, VA | 175 | 119 |
| #13 | Leesburg, VA | 123 | 75 |
| #14 | Falls Church, VA | 118 | 67 |
| #15 | Glen Allen, VA | 105 | 60 |
| #16 | Roanoke, VA | 105 | 67 |
| #17 | Chantilly, VA | 101 | 39 |
| #18 | Great Falls, VA | 92 | 53 |
| #19 | Springfield, VA | 84 | 58 |
| #20 | Haymarket, VA | 84 | 12 |
| #21 | Virginia Beach, VA | 81 | 69 |
| #22 | Sterling, VA | 80 | 49 |
| #23 | Centreville, VA | 68 | 41 |
| #24 | Salem, VA | 65 | 50 |
| #25 | Manassas, VA | 61 | 40 |