Montana ranks #45 among US states for total patents filed in 2018, with 398 patents from 256 inventors across 40 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 2018
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Bozeman, MT | 123 | 80 |
| #2 | Kalispell, MT | 72 | 30 |
| #3 | Missoula, MT | 36 | 29 |
| #4 | Belgrade, MT | 23 | 16 |
| #5 | Billings, MT | 17 | 14 |
| #6 | Butte, MT | 16 | 14 |
| #7 | Whitefish, MT | 16 | 11 |
| #8 | Bigfork, MT | 14 | 6 |
| #9 | Colstrip, MT | 12 | 1 |
| #10 | Helena, MT | 8 | 8 |
| #11 | Livingston, MT | 5 | 3 |
| #12 | Great Falls, MT | 4 | 4 |
| #13 | Cameron, MT | 3 | 1 |
| #14 | Big Sky, MT | 3 | 1 |
| #15 | Columbia Falls, MT | 3 | 2 |
| #16 | Corvallis, MT | 3 | 3 |
| #17 | Florence, MT | 3 | 3 |
| #18 | Hamilton, MT | 3 | 2 |
| #19 | Manhattan, MT | 3 | 2 |
| #20 | Stevensville, MT | 3 | 2 |
| #21 | Lewistown, MT | 2 | 2 |
| #22 | Marion, MT | 2 | 1 |
| #23 | Glendive, MT | 2 | 2 |
| #24 | Roberts, MT | 2 | 1 |
| #25 | Columbus, MT | 2 | 2 |