Montana ranks #46 among US states for total patents filed all time, with 12,720 patents from 3,198 inventors across 193 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 11.7 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in Montana All Time
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Bozeman, MT | 3,966 | 740 |
| #2 | Kalispell, MT | 1,999 | 262 |
| #3 | Missoula, MT | 1,170 | 322 |
| #4 | Billings, MT | 626 | 273 |
| #5 | Butte, MT | 507 | 139 |
| #6 | Belgrade, MT | 476 | 131 |
| #7 | Hamilton, MT | 347 | 90 |
| #8 | Whitefish, MT | 276 | 65 |
| #9 | Bigfork, MT | 268 | 25 |
| #10 | Helena, MT | 191 | 89 |
| #11 | Great Falls, MT | 181 | 104 |
| #12 | Corvallis, MT | 139 | 19 |
| #13 | Big Sky, MT | 137 | 4 |
| #14 | Columbia Falls, MT | 125 | 43 |
| #15 | Livingston, MT | 105 | 32 |
| #16 | Manhattan, MT | 103 | 29 |
| #17 | Stevensville, MT | 97 | 32 |
| #18 | Ronan, MT | 97 | 21 |
| #19 | Polson, MT | 96 | 37 |
| #20 | Florence, MT | 60 | 19 |
| #21 | Victor, MT | 57 | 23 |
| #22 | Darby, MT | 53 | 15 |
| #23 | Lewistown, MT | 50 | 19 |
| #24 | Jefferson City, MT | 50 | 2 |
| #25 | Glasgow, MT | 48 | 8 |