Wisconsin ranks #17 among US states for total patents filed in 2023, with 8,568 patents from 4,688 inventors across 382 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 1.4 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in Wisconsin 2023
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Madison, WI | 968 | 620 |
| #2 | Milwaukee, WI | 730 | 363 |
| #3 | Oshkosh, WI | 464 | 189 |
| #4 | Appleton, WI | 296 | 158 |
| #5 | Middleton, WI | 228 | 111 |
| #6 | Waukesha, WI | 215 | 121 |
| #7 | Wauwatosa, WI | 211 | 132 |
| #8 | Brookfield, WI | 209 | 101 |
| #9 | Sheboygan, WI | 183 | 84 |
| #10 | Neenah, WI | 169 | 90 |
| #11 | Mequon, WI | 130 | 62 |
| #12 | Pewaukee, WI | 123 | 52 |
| #13 | Kenosha, WI | 117 | 68 |
| #14 | Menomonee Falls, WI | 109 | 59 |
| #15 | Hudson, WI | 103 | 60 |
| #16 | Racine, WI | 99 | 64 |
| #17 | Hartland, WI | 99 | 47 |
| #18 | Cedarburg, WI | 97 | 36 |
| #19 | Fond du Lac, WI | 96 | 48 |
| #20 | Grafton, WI | 95 | 34 |
| #21 | New Berlin, WI | 94 | 53 |
| #22 | Stoughton, WI | 77 | 41 |
| #23 | Germantown, WI | 73 | 41 |
| #24 | Fitchburg, WI | 73 | 45 |
| #25 | Eau Claire, WI | 70 | 37 |