Alabama ranks #36 among US states for total patents filed all time, with 38,466 patents from 10,951 inventors across 414 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 7.7 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in Alabama All Time
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Huntsville, AL | 7,318 | 1,894 |
| #2 | Birmingham, AL | 5,016 | 1,401 |
| #3 | Madison, AL | 3,256 | 715 |
| #4 | Auburn, AL | 2,040 | 511 |
| #5 | Mobile, AL | 1,648 | 562 |
| #6 | Tuscaloosa, AL | 1,038 | 277 |
| #7 | Montgomery, AL | 953 | 315 |
| #8 | Decatur, AL | 870 | 272 |
| #9 | Hoover, AL | 739 | 165 |
| #10 | Florence, AL | 594 | 189 |
| #11 | Harvest, AL | 507 | 110 |
| #12 | Arab, AL | 468 | 70 |
| #13 | Athens, AL | 455 | 108 |
| #14 | Opelika, AL | 429 | 100 |
| #15 | New Hope, AL | 398 | 17 |
| #16 | Guntersville, AL | 340 | 70 |
| #17 | Fort Payne, AL | 309 | 69 |
| #18 | Northport, AL | 305 | 101 |
| #19 | Pelham, AL | 301 | 79 |
| #20 | Owens Cross Roads, AL | 294 | 62 |
| #21 | Cullman, AL | 272 | 90 |
| #22 | Vestavia Hills, AL | 249 | 69 |
| #23 | Pell City, AL | 244 | 87 |
| #24 | Fairhope, AL | 243 | 63 |
| #25 | Muscle Shoals, AL | 242 | 36 |