North Carolina ranks #13 among US states for total patents filed all time, with 254,678 patents from 45,564 inventors across 657 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 24.4 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in North Carolina All Time
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Raleigh, NC | 41,797 | 6,378 |
| #2 | Cary, NC | 29,308 | 3,681 |
| #3 | Durham, NC | 24,810 | 4,103 |
| #4 | Charlotte, NC | 21,862 | 4,868 |
| #5 | Chapel Hill, NC | 15,101 | 1,999 |
| #6 | Apex, NC | 10,189 | 1,394 |
| #7 | Winston-Salem, NC | 7,359 | 1,346 |
| #8 | Morrisville, NC | 7,244 | 952 |
| #9 | Greensboro, NC | 6,262 | 1,557 |
| #10 | Hickory, NC | 4,243 | 547 |
| #11 | Wake Forest, NC | 3,751 | 596 |
| #12 | Wilmington, NC | 3,549 | 905 |
| #13 | Huntersville, NC | 2,545 | 456 |
| #14 | High Point, NC | 2,453 | 422 |
| #15 | Holly Springs, NC | 2,215 | 335 |
| #16 | Asheville, NC | 2,169 | 539 |
| #17 | Mooresville, NC | 1,969 | 371 |
| #18 | Fuquay-Varina, NC | 1,942 | 309 |
| #19 | Matthews, NC | 1,896 | 379 |
| #20 | Pittsboro, NC | 1,894 | 154 |
| #21 | Kernersville, NC | 1,683 | 355 |
| #22 | Clemmons, NC | 1,673 | 260 |
| #23 | Waxhaw, NC | 1,649 | 302 |
| #24 | Concord, NC | 1,629 | 366 |
| #25 | Greenville, NC | 1,341 | 364 |