Virginia ranks #20 among US states for total patents filed in 2021, with 7,817 patents from 4,020 inventors across 261 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 0.9 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in Virginia 2021
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Vienna, VA | 610 | 140 |
| #2 | McLean, VA | 554 | 227 |
| #3 | Arlington, VA | 479 | 264 |
| #4 | Fairfax, VA | 416 | 155 |
| #5 | Richmond, VA | 382 | 251 |
| #6 | Herndon, VA | 366 | 136 |
| #7 | Alexandria, VA | 303 | 192 |
| #8 | Ashburn, VA | 270 | 157 |
| #9 | Charlottesville, VA | 268 | 169 |
| #10 | Reston, VA | 263 | 136 |
| #11 | Midlothian, VA | 242 | 117 |
| #12 | Falls Church, VA | 188 | 97 |
| #13 | Blacksburg, VA | 187 | 116 |
| #14 | Glen Allen, VA | 185 | 108 |
| #15 | Leesburg, VA | 173 | 98 |
| #16 | Centreville, VA | 147 | 38 |
| #17 | Virginia Beach, VA | 142 | 80 |
| #18 | Great Falls, VA | 125 | 42 |
| #19 | Sterling, VA | 109 | 66 |
| #20 | Manassas, VA | 105 | 63 |
| #21 | Oakton, VA | 104 | 35 |
| #22 | Chantilly, VA | 82 | 40 |
| #23 | Springfield, VA | 79 | 44 |
| #24 | Newport News, VA | 72 | 40 |
| #25 | Haymarket, VA | 71 | 19 |