Massachusetts ranks #5 among US states for total patents filed in 2020, with 27,990 patents from 14,474 inventors across 379 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 4.0 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in Massachusetts 2020
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Cambridge, MA | 3,246 | 1,681 |
| #2 | Boston, MA | 2,063 | 1,116 |
| #3 | Newton, MA | 1,122 | 538 |
| #4 | Lexington, MA | 1,051 | 460 |
| #5 | Brookline, MA | 1,027 | 539 |
| #6 | Somerville, MA | 1,024 | 546 |
| #7 | Arlington, MA | 943 | 452 |
| #8 | Waltham, MA | 571 | 295 |
| #9 | Acton, MA | 492 | 251 |
| #10 | Watertown, MA | 473 | 278 |
| #11 | Andover, MA | 462 | 212 |
| #12 | Belmont, MA | 428 | 230 |
| #13 | Westford, MA | 377 | 188 |
| #14 | Framingham, MA | 313 | 176 |
| #15 | Medford, MA | 310 | 191 |
| #16 | Concord, MA | 305 | 127 |
| #17 | Winchester, MA | 303 | 154 |
| #18 | Wellesley, MA | 292 | 124 |
| #19 | Marlborough, MA | 280 | 130 |
| #20 | Shrewsbury, MA | 269 | 161 |
| #21 | Sudbury, MA | 266 | 133 |
| #22 | Needham, MA | 264 | 132 |
| #23 | Natick, MA | 262 | 155 |
| #24 | Westborough, MA | 257 | 110 |
| #25 | Worcester, MA | 247 | 139 |