Montana ranks #45 among US states for total patents filed in 2017, with 447 patents from 282 inventors across 52 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 Montana 2017
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Bozeman, MT | 142 | 84 |
| #2 | Kalispell, MT | 74 | 28 |
| #3 | Missoula, MT | 48 | 31 |
| #4 | Butte, MT | 19 | 17 |
| #5 | Billings, MT | 16 | 16 |
| #6 | Belgrade, MT | 16 | 13 |
| #7 | Whitefish, MT | 12 | 8 |
| #8 | Big Sky, MT | 12 | 2 |
| #9 | Helena, MT | 10 | 9 |
| #10 | Bigfork, MT | 9 | 6 |
| #11 | Hamilton, MT | 9 | 4 |
| #12 | Corvallis, MT | 8 | 3 |
| #13 | Livingston, MT | 7 | 4 |
| #14 | Thompson Falls, MT | 7 | 1 |
| #15 | Polson, MT | 5 | 5 |
| #16 | Ronan, MT | 4 | 4 |
| #17 | Columbia Falls, MT | 4 | 3 |
| #18 | Lewistown, MT | 4 | 4 |
| #19 | Manhattan, MT | 3 | 3 |
| #20 | Great Falls, MT | 2 | 2 |
| #21 | Laurel, MT | 2 | 2 |
| #22 | Marion, MT | 2 | 1 |
| #23 | Red Lodge, MT | 2 | 2 |
| #24 | Stevensville, MT | 2 | 2 |
| #25 | Harlem, MT | 1 | 1 |