Virginia ranks #20 among US states for total patents filed in 2018, with 6,740 patents from 3,633 inventors across 255 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 0.8 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in Virginia 2018
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Vienna, VA | 459 | 112 |
| #2 | Richmond, VA | 382 | 220 |
| #3 | Arlington, VA | 373 | 192 |
| #4 | McLean, VA | 349 | 148 |
| #5 | Charlottesville, VA | 286 | 162 |
| #6 | Midlothian, VA | 269 | 133 |
| #7 | Ashburn, VA | 269 | 148 |
| #8 | Alexandria, VA | 259 | 171 |
| #9 | Fairfax, VA | 256 | 146 |
| #10 | Herndon, VA | 227 | 115 |
| #11 | Reston, VA | 225 | 120 |
| #12 | Blacksburg, VA | 184 | 113 |
| #13 | Leesburg, VA | 152 | 99 |
| #14 | Falls Church, VA | 135 | 76 |
| #15 | Virginia Beach, VA | 125 | 76 |
| #16 | Glen Allen, VA | 123 | 65 |
| #17 | Chantilly, VA | 123 | 47 |
| #18 | Sterling, VA | 118 | 60 |
| #19 | Great Falls, VA | 101 | 58 |
| #20 | Williamsburg, VA | 85 | 49 |
| #21 | Roanoke, VA | 84 | 54 |
| #22 | Springfield, VA | 84 | 49 |
| #23 | Brambleton, VA | 79 | 7 |
| #24 | Centreville, VA | 75 | 39 |
| #25 | Forest, VA | 74 | 32 |