South Carolina ranks #28 among US states for total patents filed all time, with 70,984 patents from 15,501 inventors across 324 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 13.9 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in South Carolina All Time
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Greenville, SC | 8,814 | 1,770 |
| #2 | Simpsonville, SC | 6,688 | 1,013 |
| #3 | Columbia, SC | 5,160 | 1,151 |
| #4 | Greer, SC | 4,437 | 717 |
| #5 | Charleston, SC | 3,625 | 815 |
| #6 | Spartanburg, SC | 2,864 | 569 |
| #7 | Anderson, SC | 2,786 | 525 |
| #8 | Fort Mill, SC | 1,871 | 349 |
| #9 | Florence, SC | 1,447 | 362 |
| #10 | Easley, SC | 1,438 | 310 |
| #11 | Clemson, SC | 1,230 | 297 |
| #12 | Rock Hill, SC | 1,210 | 269 |
| #13 | Summerville, SC | 1,184 | 314 |
| #14 | Aiken, SC | 1,169 | 359 |
| #15 | Taylors, SC | 1,106 | 195 |
| #16 | Mount Pleasant, SC | 1,021 | 240 |
| #17 | Lexington, SC | 986 | 291 |
| #18 | Seneca, SC | 856 | 178 |
| #19 | Piedmont, SC | 769 | 117 |
| #20 | Fairfax, SC | 768 | 229 |
| #21 | Mauldin, SC | 673 | 140 |
| #22 | Tega Cay, SC | 621 | 137 |
| #23 | Myrtle Beach, SC | 612 | 203 |
| #24 | Moore, SC | 601 | 114 |
| #25 | Greenwood, SC | 598 | 178 |