Massachusetts ranks #4 among US states for total patents filed in 2021, with 26,573 patents from 14,123 inventors across 377 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 3.8 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in Massachusetts 2021
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Cambridge, MA | 3,430 | 1,823 |
| #2 | Boston, MA | 2,085 | 1,168 |
| #3 | Newton, MA | 1,063 | 504 |
| #4 | Somerville, MA | 1,058 | 593 |
| #5 | Lexington, MA | 1,048 | 469 |
| #6 | Brookline, MA | 965 | 538 |
| #7 | Arlington, MA | 798 | 392 |
| #8 | Waltham, MA | 601 | 326 |
| #9 | Acton, MA | 482 | 231 |
| #10 | Belmont, MA | 461 | 237 |
| #11 | Andover, MA | 415 | 199 |
| #12 | Watertown, MA | 392 | 231 |
| #13 | Westford, MA | 341 | 165 |
| #14 | Framingham, MA | 296 | 171 |
| #15 | Medford, MA | 292 | 185 |
| #16 | Sudbury, MA | 279 | 146 |
| #17 | Needham, MA | 256 | 137 |
| #18 | Concord, MA | 255 | 115 |
| #19 | Wellesley, MA | 253 | 136 |
| #20 | Winchester, MA | 250 | 138 |
| #21 | Marlborough, MA | 247 | 125 |
| #22 | Bedford, MA | 231 | 119 |
| #23 | Littleton, MA | 225 | 61 |
| #24 | Shrewsbury, MA | 206 | 134 |
| #25 | Natick, MA | 202 | 131 |