Montana ranks #44 among US states for total patents filed in 2021, with 569 patents from 307 inventors across 47 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 0.5 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in Montana 2021
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Bozeman, MT | 230 | 120 |
| #2 | Kalispell, MT | 81 | 33 |
| #3 | Missoula, MT | 44 | 26 |
| #4 | Butte, MT | 25 | 18 |
| #5 | Belgrade, MT | 24 | 13 |
| #6 | Whitefish, MT | 19 | 9 |
| #7 | Columbia Falls, MT | 17 | 5 |
| #8 | Billings, MT | 13 | 12 |
| #9 | Big Sky, MT | 10 | 2 |
| #10 | Helena, MT | 8 | 7 |
| #11 | Hamilton, MT | 8 | 6 |
| #12 | Stevensville, MT | 8 | 5 |
| #13 | Bigfork, MT | 7 | 3 |
| #14 | Kila, MT | 6 | 2 |
| #15 | Manhattan, MT | 6 | 2 |
| #16 | Corvallis, MT | 5 | 1 |
| #17 | Ronan, MT | 5 | 2 |
| #18 | Fort Shaw, MT | 5 | 1 |
| #19 | Polson, MT | 4 | 4 |
| #20 | Great Falls, MT | 4 | 3 |
| #21 | Columbus, MT | 4 | 2 |
| #22 | Livingston, MT | 4 | 2 |
| #23 | Miles City, MT | 3 | 2 |
| #24 | Dillon, MT | 3 | 2 |
| #25 | Lewistown, MT | 3 | 3 |