Wisconsin ranks #17 among US states for total patents filed in 2017, with 7,615 patents from 4,437 inventors across 376 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 1.3 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in Wisconsin 2017
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Madison, WI | 903 | 559 |
| #2 | Milwaukee, WI | 348 | 219 |
| #3 | Appleton, WI | 304 | 172 |
| #4 | Sheboygan, WI | 194 | 95 |
| #5 | Oshkosh, WI | 183 | 103 |
| #6 | Waukesha, WI | 175 | 125 |
| #7 | Racine, WI | 158 | 84 |
| #8 | Middleton, WI | 144 | 84 |
| #9 | Neenah, WI | 144 | 87 |
| #10 | Wauwatosa, WI | 135 | 75 |
| #11 | Mequon, WI | 125 | 67 |
| #12 | Brookfield, WI | 111 | 70 |
| #13 | Hudson, WI | 101 | 66 |
| #14 | West Bend, WI | 90 | 45 |
| #15 | New Berlin, WI | 85 | 56 |
| #16 | Cedarburg, WI | 85 | 51 |
| #17 | Menomonee Falls, WI | 82 | 42 |
| #18 | Fond du Lac, WI | 81 | 38 |
| #19 | Kenosha, WI | 80 | 56 |
| #20 | Fitchburg, WI | 80 | 47 |
| #21 | Stoughton, WI | 76 | 34 |
| #22 | Pewaukee, WI | 75 | 37 |
| #23 | Sun Prairie, WI | 75 | 40 |
| #24 | Verona, WI | 71 | 45 |
| #25 | Franklin, WI | 71 | 43 |