Alabama ranks #34 among US states for total patents filed in 2021, with 1,355 patents from 931 inventors across 140 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 0.3 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in Alabama 2021
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Huntsville, AL | 251 | 170 |
| #2 | Birmingham, AL | 148 | 101 |
| #3 | Madison, AL | 140 | 102 |
| #4 | Auburn, AL | 103 | 73 |
| #5 | Tuscaloosa, AL | 58 | 38 |
| #6 | Mobile, AL | 47 | 27 |
| #7 | Montgomery, AL | 36 | 23 |
| #8 | Hoover, AL | 33 | 16 |
| #9 | Owens Cross Roads, AL | 26 | 6 |
| #10 | Decatur, AL | 23 | 20 |
| #11 | Fort Payne, AL | 20 | 10 |
| #12 | Opelika, AL | 17 | 8 |
| #13 | Athens, AL | 16 | 11 |
| #14 | Pelham, AL | 15 | 7 |
| #15 | Harvest, AL | 13 | 8 |
| #16 | Vestavia Hills, AL | 12 | 9 |
| #17 | Cahaba Cliffs, AL | 11 | 3 |
| #18 | Tuskegee, AL | 11 | 10 |
| #19 | Homewood, AL | 11 | 7 |
| #20 | Florence, AL | 11 | 7 |
| #21 | Fairhope, AL | 11 | 5 |
| #22 | Northport, AL | 10 | 8 |
| #23 | Mountain Brook, AL | 9 | 6 |
| #24 | Spanish Fort, AL | 9 | 8 |
| #25 | Tallassee, AL | 9 | 6 |