North Dakota ranks #48 among US states for total patents filed in 2020, with 351 patents from 232 inventors across 44 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 0.5 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in North Dakota 2020
| Rank ↑ | City ↕ | Patents ↕ | Inventors ↕ |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Fargo, ND | 119 | 82 |
| #2 | West Fargo, ND | 47 | 30 |
| #3 | Bismarck, ND | 27 | 18 |
| #4 | Mayville, ND | 25 | 15 |
| #5 | Jamestown, ND | 23 | 14 |
| #6 | Dickinson, ND | 19 | 8 |
| #7 | Linton, ND | 10 | 5 |
| #8 | Mandan, ND | 10 | 7 |
| #9 | Williston, ND | 8 | 6 |
| #10 | Kindred, ND | 5 | 3 |
| #11 | Horace, ND | 5 | 4 |
| #12 | Ypsilanti, ND | 3 | 1 |
| #13 | Hankinson, ND | 3 | 3 |
| #14 | Harwood, ND | 3 | 1 |
| #15 | Alexander, ND | 3 | 1 |
| #16 | Argusville, ND | 3 | 2 |
| #17 | Reile"s Acres, ND | 3 | 2 |
| #18 | Oakes, ND | 3 | 2 |
| #19 | Hickson, ND | 2 | 1 |
| #20 | Milnor, ND | 2 | 1 |
| #21 | Minot, ND | 2 | 1 |
| #22 | Harvey, ND | 2 | 1 |
| #23 | Gwinner, ND | 2 | 2 |
| #24 | Killdeer, ND | 2 | 2 |
| #25 | Anamoose, ND | 1 | 1 |