North Carolina ranks #13 among US states for total patents filed in 2017, with 11,290 patents from 5,755 inventors across 308 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 1.1 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in North Carolina 2017
| Rank ↑ | City ↕ | Patents ↕ | Inventors ↕ |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Raleigh, NC | 2,051 | 922 |
| #2 | Cary, NC | 1,603 | 700 |
| #3 | Durham, NC | 1,144 | 549 |
| #4 | Charlotte, NC | 940 | 507 |
| #5 | Chapel Hill, NC | 635 | 345 |
| #6 | Apex, NC | 501 | 221 |
| #7 | Morrisville, NC | 447 | 186 |
| #8 | Winston-Salem, NC | 247 | 152 |
| #9 | Wake Forest, NC | 204 | 111 |
| #10 | Hickory, NC | 188 | 77 |
| #11 | Greensboro, NC | 175 | 129 |
| #12 | Wilmington, NC | 149 | 94 |
| #13 | Holly Springs, NC | 135 | 69 |
| #14 | Fuquay-Varina, NC | 109 | 61 |
| #15 | Mooresville, NC | 94 | 47 |
| #16 | Concord, NC | 77 | 39 |
| #17 | Asheville, NC | 75 | 46 |
| #18 | Huntersville, NC | 74 | 54 |
| #19 | Waxhaw, NC | 69 | 46 |
| #20 | High Point, NC | 67 | 37 |
| #21 | Matthews, NC | 61 | 37 |
| #22 | Clemmons, NC | 60 | 29 |
| #23 | Carrboro, NC | 58 | 30 |
| #24 | Pittsboro, NC | 53 | 24 |
| #25 | Oak Ridge, NC | 51 | 28 |