North Carolina ranks #12 among US states for total patents filed in 2018, with 11,234 patents from 5,725 inventors across 286 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 2018
| Rank ↑ | City ↕ | Patents ↕ | Inventors ↕ |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Raleigh, NC | 1,928 | 891 |
| #2 | Cary, NC | 1,480 | 642 |
| #3 | Durham, NC | 1,066 | 568 |
| #4 | Charlotte, NC | 962 | 517 |
| #5 | Chapel Hill, NC | 595 | 335 |
| #6 | Morrisville, NC | 491 | 186 |
| #7 | Apex, NC | 480 | 229 |
| #8 | Winston-Salem, NC | 385 | 196 |
| #9 | Greensboro, NC | 249 | 112 |
| #10 | Wake Forest, NC | 162 | 99 |
| #11 | Hickory, NC | 158 | 68 |
| #12 | Wilmington, NC | 136 | 101 |
| #13 | Huntersville, NC | 110 | 65 |
| #14 | Holly Springs, NC | 95 | 49 |
| #15 | Mooresville, NC | 93 | 48 |
| #16 | Kernersville, NC | 90 | 44 |
| #17 | Fuquay-Varina, NC | 80 | 51 |
| #18 | Cornelius, NC | 76 | 30 |
| #19 | Asheville, NC | 72 | 51 |
| #20 | Matthews, NC | 72 | 47 |
| #21 | Waxhaw, NC | 70 | 42 |
| #22 | Oak Ridge, NC | 70 | 22 |
| #23 | Clemmons, NC | 69 | 45 |
| #24 | Concord, NC | 67 | 39 |
| #25 | Greenville, NC | 60 | 44 |