Iowa ranks #28 among US states for total patents filed in 2020, with 3,192 patents from 1,791 inventors across 264 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 1.0 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in Iowa 2020
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Ames, IA | 297 | 187 |
| #2 | Cedar Rapids, IA | 248 | 137 |
| #3 | Dubuque, IA | 135 | 77 |
| #4 | Iowa City, IA | 133 | 100 |
| #5 | Ankeny, IA | 129 | 64 |
| #6 | Bettendorf, IA | 129 | 60 |
| #7 | Marion, IA | 117 | 76 |
| #8 | Johnston, IA | 109 | 55 |
| #9 | Granger, IA | 85 | 6 |
| #10 | Cedar Falls, IA | 75 | 56 |
| #11 | Des Moines, IA | 74 | 51 |
| #12 | Marshalltown, IA | 59 | 46 |
| #13 | Oskaloosa, IA | 58 | 13 |
| #14 | Davenport, IA | 58 | 38 |
| #15 | Pella, IA | 57 | 43 |
| #16 | Coralville, IA | 56 | 23 |
| #17 | Panora, IA | 44 | 2 |
| #18 | Kelley, IA | 41 | 1 |
| #19 | Ottumwa, IA | 41 | 16 |
| #20 | Urbandale, IA | 39 | 24 |
| #21 | Slater, IA | 36 | 14 |
| #22 | North Liberty, IA | 35 | 25 |
| #23 | Waukee, IA | 34 | 13 |
| #24 | New Sharon, IA | 31 | 5 |
| #25 | Waterloo, IA | 31 | 25 |