Wisconsin ranks #19 among US states for total patents filed in 2020, with 8,710 patents from 4,845 inventors across 402 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 1.5 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in Wisconsin 2020
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Madison, WI | 1,066 | 655 |
| #2 | Milwaukee, WI | 574 | 311 |
| #3 | Appleton, WI | 332 | 168 |
| #4 | Waukesha, WI | 275 | 138 |
| #5 | Wauwatosa, WI | 200 | 105 |
| #6 | Middleton, WI | 190 | 87 |
| #7 | Oshkosh, WI | 160 | 108 |
| #8 | Sheboygan, WI | 160 | 81 |
| #9 | Brookfield, WI | 160 | 76 |
| #10 | Neenah, WI | 159 | 97 |
| #11 | Menomonee Falls, WI | 156 | 71 |
| #12 | Hudson, WI | 133 | 78 |
| #13 | Racine, WI | 127 | 72 |
| #14 | Mequon, WI | 117 | 55 |
| #15 | Pewaukee, WI | 116 | 57 |
| #16 | New Berlin, WI | 107 | 64 |
| #17 | West Bend, WI | 96 | 52 |
| #18 | Fitchburg, WI | 95 | 53 |
| #19 | Sun Prairie, WI | 89 | 43 |
| #20 | Oconomowoc, WI | 84 | 43 |
| #21 | Grafton, WI | 82 | 29 |
| #22 | Eau Claire, WI | 80 | 42 |
| #23 | Kenosha, WI | 79 | 48 |
| #24 | Manitowoc, WI | 73 | 34 |
| #25 | Stoughton, WI | 72 | 41 |