Massachusetts ranks #4 among US states for total patents filed in 2018, with 23,987 patents from 12,682 inventors across 375 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 3.4 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in Massachusetts 2018
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Cambridge, MA | 2,551 | 1,336 |
| #2 | Boston, MA | 1,512 | 888 |
| #3 | Newton, MA | 1,031 | 511 |
| #4 | Lexington, MA | 1,019 | 452 |
| #5 | Brookline, MA | 874 | 455 |
| #6 | Somerville, MA | 721 | 445 |
| #7 | Arlington, MA | 703 | 368 |
| #8 | Waltham, MA | 533 | 271 |
| #9 | Acton, MA | 441 | 223 |
| #10 | Belmont, MA | 404 | 203 |
| #11 | Andover, MA | 403 | 207 |
| #12 | Watertown, MA | 377 | 220 |
| #13 | Westford, MA | 360 | 178 |
| #14 | Shrewsbury, MA | 298 | 155 |
| #15 | Framingham, MA | 288 | 147 |
| #16 | Concord, MA | 281 | 138 |
| #17 | Bedford, MA | 265 | 133 |
| #18 | Westborough, MA | 264 | 101 |
| #19 | Winchester, MA | 263 | 131 |
| #20 | Sudbury, MA | 250 | 135 |
| #21 | Needham, MA | 243 | 130 |
| #22 | Medford, MA | 241 | 132 |
| #23 | Wellesley, MA | 223 | 117 |
| #24 | Marlborough, MA | 217 | 117 |
| #25 | Natick, MA | 199 | 117 |