Wisconsin ranks #17 among US states for total patents filed in 2016, with 7,170 patents from 4,233 inventors across 379 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 1.2 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in Wisconsin 2016
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Madison, WI | 828 | 506 |
| #2 | Milwaukee, WI | 297 | 184 |
| #3 | Appleton, WI | 287 | 159 |
| #4 | Sheboygan, WI | 226 | 90 |
| #5 | Neenah, WI | 222 | 113 |
| #6 | Waukesha, WI | 217 | 124 |
| #7 | Racine, WI | 162 | 94 |
| #8 | Oshkosh, WI | 152 | 90 |
| #9 | Middleton, WI | 121 | 70 |
| #10 | Wauwatosa, WI | 118 | 62 |
| #11 | Brookfield, WI | 116 | 74 |
| #12 | Hudson, WI | 101 | 62 |
| #13 | Oconomowoc, WI | 98 | 51 |
| #14 | Mequon, WI | 96 | 60 |
| #15 | Kenosha, WI | 93 | 55 |
| #16 | Pewaukee, WI | 89 | 47 |
| #17 | Menasha, WI | 88 | 45 |
| #18 | Menomonee Falls, WI | 77 | 51 |
| #19 | Fitchburg, WI | 74 | 41 |
| #20 | Green Bay, WI | 74 | 57 |
| #21 | Cedarburg, WI | 72 | 38 |
| #22 | New Berlin, WI | 72 | 44 |
| #23 | West Bend, WI | 72 | 50 |
| #24 | Grafton, WI | 71 | 37 |
| #25 | New Richmond, WI | 66 | 33 |