Iowa ranks #27 among US states for total patents filed in 2021, with 3,127 patents from 1,785 inventors across 263 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 Iowa 2021
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Ames, IA | 236 | 159 |
| #2 | Cedar Rapids, IA | 213 | 126 |
| #3 | Granger, IA | 178 | 7 |
| #4 | Dubuque, IA | 173 | 98 |
| #5 | Iowa City, IA | 132 | 107 |
| #6 | Marion, IA | 131 | 80 |
| #7 | Ankeny, IA | 130 | 72 |
| #8 | Bettendorf, IA | 124 | 60 |
| #9 | Johnston, IA | 118 | 44 |
| #10 | Des Moines, IA | 109 | 66 |
| #11 | Cedar Falls, IA | 85 | 59 |
| #12 | Pella, IA | 67 | 40 |
| #13 | Marshalltown, IA | 66 | 41 |
| #14 | Davenport, IA | 65 | 37 |
| #15 | Coralville, IA | 51 | 25 |
| #16 | West Des Moines, IA | 47 | 32 |
| #17 | Waukee, IA | 42 | 14 |
| #18 | Urbandale, IA | 40 | 27 |
| #19 | Waterloo, IA | 40 | 27 |
| #20 | North Liberty, IA | 29 | 19 |
| #21 | Ottumwa, IA | 27 | 12 |
| #22 | Eldridge, IA | 24 | 13 |
| #23 | Grimes, IA | 22 | 13 |
| #24 | Polk City, IA | 21 | 7 |
| #25 | Blakesburg, IA | 21 | 2 |