South Dakota ranks #46 among US states for total patents filed in 2021, with 408 patents from 283 inventors across 60 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 South Dakota 2021
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Sioux Falls, SD | 147 | 95 |
| #2 | Rapid City, SD | 56 | 44 |
| #3 | Brookings, SD | 33 | 20 |
| #4 | Yankton, SD | 16 | 12 |
| #5 | Mitchell, SD | 11 | 9 |
| #6 | Volga, SD | 10 | 5 |
| #7 | Harrisburg, SD | 9 | 7 |
| #8 | Pierre, SD | 8 | 7 |
| #9 | Watertown, SD | 6 | 6 |
| #10 | Beresford, SD | 6 | 3 |
| #11 | Salem, SD | 6 | 2 |
| #12 | Garretson, SD | 5 | 1 |
| #13 | Hartford, SD | 5 | 5 |
| #14 | Plankinton, SD | 5 | 2 |
| #15 | Arlington, SD | 4 | 1 |
| #16 | Alexandria, SD | 4 | 2 |
| #17 | Brandon, SD | 4 | 4 |
| #18 | Dakota Dunes, SD | 4 | 4 |
| #19 | North Sioux City, SD | 4 | 1 |
| #20 | Summerset, SD | 3 | 2 |
| #21 | Box Elder, SD | 3 | 3 |
| #22 | Draper, SD | 3 | 1 |
| #23 | Madison, SD | 3 | 1 |
| #24 | Vermillion, SD | 3 | 3 |
| #25 | Freeman, SD | 3 | 2 |