Virginia ranks #20 among US states for total patents filed in 2020, with 8,603 patents from 4,224 inventors across 276 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 Virginia 2020
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Vienna, VA | 665 | 130 |
| #2 | McLean, VA | 624 | 232 |
| #3 | Arlington, VA | 502 | 278 |
| #4 | Richmond, VA | 426 | 253 |
| #5 | Fairfax, VA | 425 | 164 |
| #6 | Herndon, VA | 412 | 132 |
| #7 | Charlottesville, VA | 338 | 186 |
| #8 | Alexandria, VA | 324 | 191 |
| #9 | Ashburn, VA | 292 | 165 |
| #10 | Reston, VA | 289 | 143 |
| #11 | Blacksburg, VA | 278 | 146 |
| #12 | Midlothian, VA | 260 | 119 |
| #13 | Falls Church, VA | 248 | 101 |
| #14 | Glen Allen, VA | 171 | 87 |
| #15 | Leesburg, VA | 163 | 104 |
| #16 | Centreville, VA | 160 | 50 |
| #17 | Great Falls, VA | 139 | 46 |
| #18 | Chantilly, VA | 118 | 52 |
| #19 | Virginia Beach, VA | 112 | 71 |
| #20 | Sterling, VA | 109 | 79 |
| #21 | Roanoke, VA | 105 | 61 |
| #22 | Oakton, VA | 101 | 27 |
| #23 | Newport News, VA | 79 | 44 |
| #24 | Manassas, VA | 78 | 50 |
| #25 | Williamsburg, VA | 76 | 45 |