North Carolina ranks #13 among US states for total patents filed in 2021, with 11,519 patents from 5,924 inventors across 312 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 1.1 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in North Carolina 2021
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Raleigh, NC | 1,963 | 908 |
| #2 | Cary, NC | 1,469 | 600 |
| #3 | Durham, NC | 1,186 | 654 |
| #4 | Charlotte, NC | 1,055 | 606 |
| #5 | Chapel Hill, NC | 652 | 340 |
| #6 | Morrisville, NC | 485 | 199 |
| #7 | Apex, NC | 441 | 224 |
| #8 | Winston-Salem, NC | 368 | 195 |
| #9 | Greensboro, NC | 261 | 132 |
| #10 | Huntersville, NC | 169 | 83 |
| #11 | Wake Forest, NC | 161 | 94 |
| #12 | Mooresville, NC | 136 | 64 |
| #13 | Wilmington, NC | 125 | 87 |
| #14 | Hickory, NC | 121 | 61 |
| #15 | Holly Springs, NC | 100 | 59 |
| #16 | Fuquay-Varina, NC | 96 | 52 |
| #17 | Asheville, NC | 95 | 60 |
| #18 | Waxhaw, NC | 92 | 58 |
| #19 | Pittsboro, NC | 87 | 21 |
| #20 | Cornelius, NC | 71 | 31 |
| #21 | Matthews, NC | 68 | 40 |
| #22 | Concord, NC | 67 | 36 |
| #23 | Clemmons, NC | 64 | 38 |
| #24 | High Point, NC | 60 | 37 |
| #25 | Hillsborough, NC | 59 | 36 |