Alabama ranks #37 among US states for total patents filed in 2020, with 1,350 patents from 902 inventors across 148 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 0.3 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in Alabama 2020
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Huntsville, AL | 219 | 150 |
| #2 | Birmingham, AL | 157 | 105 |
| #3 | Auburn, AL | 134 | 84 |
| #4 | Madison, AL | 122 | 72 |
| #5 | Hoover, AL | 43 | 23 |
| #6 | Montgomery, AL | 40 | 29 |
| #7 | Mobile, AL | 40 | 27 |
| #8 | Tuscaloosa, AL | 31 | 23 |
| #9 | Pelham, AL | 25 | 11 |
| #10 | Mountain Brook, AL | 23 | 7 |
| #11 | Opelika, AL | 22 | 10 |
| #12 | Decatur, AL | 22 | 12 |
| #13 | Florence, AL | 20 | 17 |
| #14 | Fort Payne, AL | 17 | 10 |
| #15 | Vestavia Hills, AL | 16 | 14 |
| #16 | Millbrook, AL | 13 | 4 |
| #17 | Cahaba Cliffs, AL | 11 | 2 |
| #18 | Harvest, AL | 11 | 10 |
| #19 | Chelsea, AL | 11 | 7 |
| #20 | Fairhope, AL | 10 | 6 |
| #21 | Cullman, AL | 10 | 7 |
| #22 | Owens Cross Roads, AL | 10 | 6 |
| #23 | New Hope, AL | 9 | 4 |
| #24 | Northport, AL | 9 | 7 |
| #25 | Homewood, AL | 8 | 7 |